Pillars of Decadence
by Marisa Serise
Summary: Muramasa believes a zanpaktou should follow their instincts. Fortunately, Kouga agrees. Yaoi, het, AU, slight OOC & definite lemon. Linked to 'Pillars of Sanctuary'. Read full notes inside. Turned into a series by request!
1. Chapter 1

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. If it was, it'd be **_**Muramasa**_** kicking Kouga in the stomach. Repeatedly. Grr. **

**AN: I decided to leave 'Pillars of Sanctuary' as its own thing -- it's so sweet and cute, that I hate to bring lemons into it. That story might get lemonesque but I'd prefer it to be more/less about friendship than passion. I won't call PoD a 'oneshot' because I already see it growing past that. Plus, even if I make it a oneshot you dear readers will plead with me to write more. So. **

**Warnings: Since I'm quickwriting this, I'll go with my standard disclaimer: lemons. yaoi. rough play (if not now then later), implied D/s (master/slave & dom/sub hand in hand) ...um...I think that's it. If this is your first fic with me, that's pretty much how ALL my dirty stories roll. Somewhat spoilerific if you haven't been watching all of the zanpaktou filler arc, esp 250 & 251. **

**I'm picking up where 'Pillars of Sanctuary' left off -- where these two are slowly starting to explore something more...intimate. Scenes are in the inner world for the most part. I'll differentiate when they aren't. **

**Storytime!**

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Most of the time, Muramasa didn't mind the way he looked. After all, he was part of the soul of Kuchiki Kouga, a very beautiful man. However, his long nails had limitations. As he looked into Kouga's eyes, he realized that the same hands that were stroking his master's face could easily tear skin and rip muscle from bone without much effort. He focused on the slow buildup of understanding in Kouga's eyes after they broke off their sudden kiss, and paused.

"Why did you stop?"

Kouga's question gave him room to think. Why _did_ he stop? Those lips were soft in comparison to the confused, hardened nature that was devouring his master second by second. He liked that very much -- the kissing at least. The changes in his master were beginning to bother him, but there was little he could do. To go against Kouga was out of the question. Loyalty was implicit in every step, every syllable, every movement. Unquestionable and unshakable, the way it ought to be.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable." It was an honest reply. From the way Kouga was shivering, he could tell that a same sex pairing was not something native to the man pacing madly back and forth across the pillar. Kouga's foul mood seemed to be improving, given the way the pillar was slowly expanding. It gave both of them much needed space and more room to be close, if that was what was in order. Muramasa decided to keep going -- improving Kouga's mood was his first priority. When Kouga was troubled, the water would rise higher and higher, threatening to overtake all the pillars and drown Muramasa. He didn't really think he could drown in that water, but he did not like the idea of an inner world overrun by water and fear.

He watched Kouga turn, his face looking mostly unreadable. "Why would I be uncomfortable? I...well...fine. Yes, I'm a little nervous. I've never done such a thing before. I'm assuming you have?"

Muramasa shrugged. "I do not sleep, the way you sleep. When you sheath your sword and rest, I have little to do except roam the world of the zanpaktou. Like you shinigami, we have connections to each other."

Kouga tilted his head. "Connections?"

Muramasa let a smile tug at his lips a bit. "Indeed. When we go to battle together, you ask me to _whisper_. So that is what I do for you. It makes sense that when I roam the world of the zanpaktou, I am asked to _whisper_ a great deal. It takes on a slightly different meaning..."

Kouga blushed. He wasn't a stranger to the bedroom, but he didn't expect Muramasa to do anything except wait for the next time to be called. "You always answer my calls so quickly."

Another shrug and a sigh from the zanpaktou spirit. "I control other zanpaktou. This means that I set the rules of engagement. One thing that is made clear to all those I...encounter is that anytime you call, I must depart immediately for you. Anytime, anywhere. Most of my...contacts understand this."

"Who have you..." Kouga paused, the blush evident on his face. He put up a hand. "Nevermind. I'm not sure I want to open that box of secrets."

Muramasa stepped a little closer and actually smiled brightly for his master. It was a rare smile, given that Muramasa was often prone to scowling and frowning, much like his master. "That's fine, and it's probably for the best."

Kouga looked at Muramasa's profile, taking in the long white coat with the detailed sash in the middle, the fur collar with the scarf covering his neck. "I didn't even realize you could take that thing off the way we shinigami get rid of our clothes."

It was a slight invitation, given the scenario. The pillar widened a little more, and Muramasa stepped forward again to bridge the gap between them. He reached lightly for Kouga's hand and put it around his sash. "I certainly can take it off, I just have to be careful...my nails tear things easily. If you would like..." Muramasa didn't have the boldness to finish the rest.

Kouga thought on it for a moment, remembering their kiss. Muramasa kissed him with enough passion to make him feel like it was real -- it was really something Muramasa wanted to do. That made Kouga nervous -- he didn't know how to do ..._those_ things. Not with a man. Spirit. Whatever. He wasn't sure how to even begin, or if this was something he should even do. Muramasa was far too ready to make him feel good and he didn't want to take something he wasn't even sure he ought to have.

He remembered the way Muramasa held him without question, the way he moved his hands ever so carefully. _He really doesn't want to hurt me. In fact, his _entire_ fear right now is hurting me without meaning to, both physically and emotionally. _

A slow, winding heat curled its way through Kouga, bringing to mind a few thoughts that were translated mainly from his prior experiences. Pleasure was the same, wasn't it? If he gave in to his desires -- set aside his Kuchiki pride for a moment and just _responded_, wouldn't it be the same as with a woman?

He decided to find out. His hands slowly loosened the hidden knot inside Muramasa's sash, letting it go free. The coat opened and he found himself looking at another layer underneath the coat.

"It gets cold here sometimes." the spirit whispered, moving a little closer. The coat had fallen away easily, leaving behind a light brownish-purple yukata, the same color as his messy hair. Muramasa tried not to imply that the coldness came from Kouga's moods, that slithered back and forth between happiness and complete despair the way Muramasa's seductive commands whispered over the hearts of the zanpaktou that fell to his superior will.

Fortunately, Kouga knew how to undo an obi, so that was out of the way easily. His eyes went wide as he slowly uncovered mile after mile of pale skin, from the wide shoulders that slowly narrowed down to a small chest and flat stomach. He brought their lips together again, closing his eyes.

Muramasa kept his eyes open, not wanting to miss a single moment. He carefully slipped his master's shinigami clothes off of him bit by bit, exposing him down to the waist. He admired the hard muscles, the smooth skin kissed by just the right amount of sunlight. He felt Kouga slip his tongue in and couldn't help but moan -- for a man that had never touched another man, Kouga knew enough to make things interesting indeed. Muramasa trailed a clawed hand against Kouga's back lightly, letting the nails scratch soft skin.

The two of them stood this way for a few moments, exploring each others lines, slopes, and peaks. Kouga raised an eyebrow, breaking the kiss for a moment. "Hm. I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. There's nothing here."

Muramasa pressed his right index finger and thumb together, the nails clicking together with the motion. The pillar had already been widened, so it was easy to add a ring of thick brownish-purple cushions. Kouga chuckled quietly. "How did you do that?"

He earned another shrug from the whispering zanpaktou. "I followed my instincts. Isn't that where everything stems from?"

The phrase shouldn't have been seductive. It wasn't meant to be. Yet Kouga was intently listening to every word, savoring it on his tongue like the finest honey produced in Sereitei. "Indeed." He moved both of them down into the small pile of cushions, his nervousness bubbling up again. "Ah, how...what...am I supposed to do..."

Muramasa wrapped his hands around Kouga's neck, keeping him close. "Didn't we agree, Kouga? Follow your instincts." The last half of his commentary was delivered in a soft, husky whisper, sky blue eyes meeting apple green ones.

Kouga nodded, thinking. He wasn't sure how to move forward - the yukata had been discarded somewhere off to the side of the cushions, leaving the whispering spirit underneath him completely exposed save for the scarf that still adorned his neck. It made for a very erotic look -- especially with the long strands of hair that spilled over between Muramasa's eyes.

Kouga's hakama disappeared as well, ended up next to the discarded yukata and overcoat. The discarded clothing would have to keep each other company while their owners kissed, touched, whispered to each other.

Each passing moment made Kouga hungrier, more excited. He nipped hard at Muramasa's shoulder, his hands touching, exploring, finding, testing. He seemed transfixed with the stiff erection that was not his own, unsure what to do with it.

Muramasa scratched a nail across Kouga's back again, chiding him softly. "What do your instincts tell you now?"

He raised a thin brown eyebrow as Kouga held his hand up in the air, calling in a tiny bottle. "I think I'm beginning to understand. This may be your world, but I can override much, if not all of it. Correct."

The spirit nodded and hummed. "You're catching on quickly."

Kouga licked his lips and used the tiny bottle of lubricant to best advantage, preparing Muramasa. It earned him the first blush the whispering spirit had during the entire session. "How kind of you. It was not..necessary." Kouga smirked. "You said to follow my instincts. This is what I would normally do for ...her." He continued working the lube inside Muramasa, being rewarded with more soft moans and whimpers.

_Such a submissive and willing zanpaktou spirit, even though he is literally created to control lives. How interesting._ Kouga thought quietly.

There wasn't any turning back. That was clear: not when Muramasa was laid out so spendidly, not when both of them were so aroused and so hungry and so...

"Kouga!" Muramasa's voice echoed through the pillar world. Kouga had pressed in all the way in one move, his thoughts placing his body on autopilot. Muramasa howled and let his nails dig more into Kouga's back. If this phased the shinigami, he didn't comment on it. Instead, a wide grin crept on his features. "Just following my instincts, Muramasa. I see you're following yours. Keep it up."

_What?_ _Does he really want me to ..._

The nails stopped moving for a moment and Kouga dipped his head down to bite Muramasa's shoulder again. "Did I tell you to stop ..._more_."

Instincts were such a treasured thing in moments like this. Muramasa complied, digging his nails into Kouga's back as his master drove into him over and over again. Kouga twisted himself around differently to get comfortable and earned another sharp moan from the whispering spirit.

"Oh!" Sky blue eyes open wide, wavering...

Apple green eyes frosted over with concern. "Am I hurting you...sorry..."

A quick shake of the head and a smile. "On...the contrary...when you shifted...you're touching...ah! you're..." The eyes closed and the lips stopped moving.

Beads of understanding began to collect in Kouga's brain. _Ah, it _is _similar. A man has a spot, just like a woman. Hm._ He began slowly pressing against that spot over and over, breathing deeply, beginning to let his movements have less and less association with rational thought.

_Follow your instincts._

Those whispered tones bounced around in his head as he enjoyed Muramasa, shaking as his body processed this new pleasure. "Mm, it's nice to see you following _your_ instincts too...those claws suit you...very much."

They tangled with each other, until he felt Muramasa start to get closer and closer to his peak. Kouga leaned over to breathe directly into Muramasa's ear, licking the pale shell a few times. "So...are you going to _whisper_ for me too, Muramasa? Is that where this is going? Why don't we ..._whisper_ together, ne?"

The lines were executed with such a teasing innocence that Muramasa just lost it. He squeezed Kouga tightly and scratched the shinigami's back wildly as his back arched, mouth forming a hard firm O. His eyes partially shut, becoming narrow slits.

Kouga clenched his teeth for a moment, watching Muramasa's climax with a wide grin on his face. He pumped in and out of the thinner man, finally giving up hold on his release and letting go. Kouga groaned, feeling like everything was being drained out of him. The scorn of Soul Society's elite, the loneliness, the sense of failure stemming from having so much criticism hurled at him all at once...everything seemed to drain out along with the liquid heat that was filling up his dear whispering spirit.

Muramasa moved a hand to stroke Kouga's cheek lightly once he was spent. "Good lesson in following your instincts, eh? I knew you could."

Kouga moved off of him and manifested a blanket for the both of them. He pulled the spirit closer to him and sighed, nodding.

"Of course I could." He said, summoning up the classic Kuchiki pride with each move of his lips.

After all, all he had to do was learn how to _whisper_. The rest came easily enough.

* * *

**AN: Yes, I know that Kouga is married. That never meant someone magically had Mad Leet Bedroom Skillz0rz. So I'm taking the foundation that Kouga kinda-sorta knows what to do but has issues and letting Muramasa guide him -- a little topping from the bottom I s'pose but I'll run with it for now. **

**I see the makings of another micro-universe stewing. Oh my. Pillars of Decadence will focus on the romantic/lemony/snuggly side - some fluff, some dialogue, some introspection. Lots of inner world scenes. This is probably a little OOC as well -- I'm writing this with the POV that Kouga hasn't gone completely batshit insane and gotten abusive with Mura. That's it. **

**I have Muramasa & Kouga manifesting things because they're in the inner world. That's the best way I could make things fit. I imagine that if the inner world is of one's own creation, then this is semi-plausible. Ah, the ramblings of a tired fangirl at 5am. Why is 5am the fanfic hour, anyway? I never get this creative during the day. Grr. **

**I got some nice alert/fave/review action from Pillars of Sanctuary -- completely unexpected. *bows* This story would have never happened without that encouragement. I appreciate everyone. This *will* continue so keep it in mind if you want more. :) I haven't forgotten PoS either -- I'll update it when I can. **

**Oh, the fanfic. Christmas break has gotten kinda hot in here. **

**Last self-promo move - I write all my storyboarding, characterization, and quickwrites usually on my LJ first. It's my handle here .livejournal dot com. Link is also in my profile now. Thanks y'all! Time for me to get some sleep...I have a busy day tomorrow. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. My hair is too rockin' for a kenseikan, anyway. **

**A/N: And we're back! This picks *right* up after the events of Chapter 2 of 'Sanctuary'. You should read that before this to get the full effect of the interlinked storyline, but it can kinda-sorta standalone as well. **

**Warnings: Yaoi, het, implied BDSM themes, hard lemons, AU, bondage, supernatural mentions…**

**Quick summary: both Kouga and Muramasa are mulling over the events of the day before. They're wondering how to move forward from there. Using his ability, Muramasa has gone off to see an old friend and engaged them in battle. There was a challenge that the other zanpaktou spirit won, and the prize was a little indulgence. That's where this picks up. **

**Lemons? In my fanfic? (It's more likely than you think.) Enjoy!**

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As Muramasa lay crumpled in the tall grass, he mused quietly to himself on the distinct similarities between battle and passion. The way Saira had gone all out had drained away what was left of his temper, but had replaced it with something more. Something darker, more intense that wasn't sure how to manifest himself. He was picking up the way Saira looked at him through the entire battle. The spirit culture of the zanpaktou was straightforward: everything had to go to the master or the mistress first, and then they could indulge themselves. He hadn't gone to seen Kouga after everything that had happened.

He touched his shoulder and winced, the bites that Kouga had placed there previously hadn't healed completely. He would still be a little sore, but not too sore to explore new ground.

As his overall desire to whisper came back, he studied the dark brown eyes that followed him, attached to warm honey-colored skin and ruby red lips. It amused him slightly that when he focused on this odd zanpaktou spirit, he began to see every detail. She had distinctly foreign features, making him think of the Spanish culture that he had observed through Kouga's reading of it in the Kuchiki manor's library. They weren't unattractive, not if he could focus and stop thinking so much.

_Did I ask you to stop? I want more...do it harder_.

He pushed Kouga out of his comfort zone. He gave in when he should have gone more cautiously, slowly dragged out his master's pleasure and taught him everything he knew.

He broke out of his thoughts as he noticed Saira clutching those purple wildflowers with a victorious glee. "You seem so shocked you were defeated, Muramasa."

The way the honorific hovered invisibly without coming into view startled Muramasa a little bit - it was one thing for him to do so with Kouga - that bond was beyond comprehension to other people. However, this tanned woman with those round almond eyes was not that familiar to him.

Or was she? He had come here so many times to fight, to talk, to run his fingers through dark russet locks and gaze into chocolate eyes because he couldn't stare longingly into apple green ones. As he wandered from inner world to inner world, he did indulge himself with other pleasures as the mood struck him. That was before Kouga had touched him, had stroked spots in his soul he wasn't aware he had. It happened so quickly, making Muramasa wish that it had been drawn out instead of passing him by. If he got another chance to be with him, Muramasa would make sure to draw things out as long as possible.

"A little surprised, yes. Your shinigami is a 12th seat, yes?" the words came out slow, measured as he tried to focus instead of letting his instincts lead for a change.

Saira nodded and looked at her twin staves that still hovered on air. She had used them to finally subdue Muramasa, exposing their special ability of high speed rotation. "Not all positions are given based on a shinigami's power. Politics plays a great role, as you well know."

The reply was a silent commentary on their series of past conversations. He now understood why Saira was as strong as she was, even though she belonged to a shinigami that was ranked lower than his Kouga.

He sucked in a breath, his hand reaching out for the wildflowers that were still clutched in her hands. "Indeed. So you won, and I promised I would consider indulging you slightly."

Saira let a wide grin play on her lips. "What is it you like to say, Muramasa? Follow your instincts. What would you like to do that you can't do with your beloved shinigami?" She always teased him about his "first love", as she called Kouga. He wasn't sure if it was jealousy or just her version of playfulness, but it irritated him.

He tilted his head at her slightly. "Oh? Are you sure you want me to follow my instincts with respect to such a thing? You may get more than what you expected."

He stretched out his arm, opening his palm to let the long claw-like nails fully extend. A fast moving wave shot out, sweeping over Saira and fading just as quickly.

Chocolate eyes followed sky blue ones that seemed to be just a little smugger than they were previously. "I...can't move." She said softly, trying to struggle against an invisible grip that locked her down.

Muramasa disappeared out of view and reappeared behind her, his nails gently stroking her face. "Indeed. You can't. I've often thought about using your inner world to best advantage. This is what my instincts tell me to do, Rosen Saira. Are you certain...?" He trailed off, confident but slightly unbalanced as well. He had a dark side to his persona; there was no doubt about that. He didn't want to hurt this woman but he was also intrigued with finding out how far she could go, how much she could take without breaking from the inside out.

"The mistress is still resting and will be in a deeper sleep shortly. That gives us time. I know how you feel about that sort of thing." Saira sighed, seeming to not care as much about the state of her shinigami as Muramasa did.

He understood that not all zanpaktou followed the same line of devotion to their shinigami as he did. It did not matter right now.

He slid his hands to the bright sash that held her robe together, trying to loosen it without letting his nails scratch the material. After a few moments of frustration, the woman spoke again. "Let me try. Then you can ...continue going where I think you're going."

He broke the restraining hold and she loosened the sash, opening her robe to reveal an equally foreign style of undergarments. There was a lengthy tube-like fabric covering her breasts that were pulled in tight to the body, as well as a matching lacy covering for her lower body.

Saira breathed in deeply as the wind caressed her exposed form, answering Muramasa's unasked question. "It's called a corset, the top. The bottoms are considered to be ruffled panties."

He rolled the words on his tongue for a moment before carefully tugging these ruffled things down her legs. He would have to ask her later about why she had such foreign things - all the other zanpaktou spirits didn't dress that way. Well, not the ones _he_ had conquered anyway.

He noticed they had shifted back into the deep forest that surrounded the valley of this inner world. He studied her form as well as the tall trees that provided an interesting backdrop to the scene playing out before him.

He raised his hand up to the sky and closed his eyes for a moment, his signature purplish reiatsu circling him for a moment. The branches of the trees around him began to soften and lengthen, building a living frame around Saira. He hummed, watching her reaction as the branches curled around her arms and legs, exposing her more.

She gasped. "How did you do that?"

He manifested the coin on a string she gave him the first time he defeated her in battle, the first time they had created the silent code that would say what words couldn't. His face took on a slightly smug, slightly serious look — his usual, it seemed. "You gave me control over this inner world when you gave me this. I decided to finally take you up on your invitation. You should be pleased."

He faded the coin away, and dragged his nails over her skin lightly, starting with her neck. He kept eye contact with her, his classic stare not wavering for a moment.

Saira drew in a deep breath, a soft moan escaping her lips as she felt those nails graze her nail, roaming downward slowly. She fought against the bonds, wanting to touch him, explore him too.

He sensed her full understanding of the situation she was in and gave a light chuckle. "Ah, I told you I would consider indulging you. I never said that I would let you touch me, did I?"

Those careful hands danced around the silky lace and fabric of the corset, teasing the nipple hiding within. She sucked in a breath and turned her head.

Her neck makes me think of a bird, he thought to himself as he nipped her neck similar to the way Kouga had bit down on his shoulder. She cried out and he continued teasing, tormenting her with touch and restraint all blended together.

His free hand trailed down over her mound, his smallest finger lightly tangling in the soft hair. This was a dance he had done before with others, but usually not when said female was tied up with branches that now resembled soft rope than the stiff pegs they were normally.

There was the problem with the nails again. He decided quickly that if he wanted to make sure she wasn't harmed, he needed to take the nails out of the equation entirely. He flipped his hand down, keeping his nails out of the way. This new hand pressed against that intimate space of hers, beginning to rub gently, slowly.

"What...what are you doing?" came the soft, breathy question he was expecting. This was out of her comfort zone, but this was where his instincts led him. He would think about the meaning of it all later.

He didn't answer for a moment, covering her neck in licks, kisses, nibbles. He sucked on the soft skin as his hand mirrored his lighter movements, rubbing Saira carefully making extra sure that his nails were definitely out of the way. This was a trust move on both of their parts — he had never taken those purple flowers into consideration.

The rope-like branches loosened enough to give Saira enough slack to participate if she wished while still holding her mostly in place. He blew hot air against her neck, then attacked her earlobe for a moment before whispering, "Move...if you'd like."

The dark brown eyes followed him intently for a moment before rocking her hips against him. "You're ...touching me so gently and carefully."

He replied with a smirk, changing his angle to rub against the small pearl that had began to peek out from her sex. "This is your indulgence, not mine. Maybe I'll hurt you for mine, just to switch things up. But you wanted me to do something I would not normally do. Tying you up, restraining you...this is not something I would normally do with my Kouga."

She laughed, moving in time with his quicker movements, her moans beginning to grow louder. "Yours, eh? That bond of yours will be the end of your joy one day, Muramasa..."

He ignored her taunts, continuing to whisper in her ear about her situation. "You look so ...erotic tied up like this, letting the same man that invaded your inner world touch you so intimately...what does that say about you, hm?"

She felt his angle shifting and changing, the movements a strange pleasure that was overwhelming her. She noticed how controlled his reiatsu was compared to hers, the way he moved the other hand across her nipple, teasing her by never unloosening the corset. The stiff nub felt wonderful between his fingers, and she knew she wouldn't last long.

He laughed softly in her ear, continuing to do what he did best. He whispered and he teased, he taunted and he laughed as she grew closer and closer to her release. "Trapped here with your inner world open to me, isn't that ...interesting, Rosen Saira? The princess's world has yielded to me fully to create your helplessness and your pleasure all at once."

Those words were as powerful as these angles of his hands, as potent as the expert pressure that was pushing her along. "Can't hold on much longer."

They fell into a decadent rhythm that left Saira breathless, unable to resist those touches, those teases, those taunting comments that made her feel electric. It was oddly exciting to realize that he was still fully dressed, even with that ever-present scarf around his neck. It made him look so innocent, even though his actions were far from that reality.

He finally hummed softly to her, letting the hand that was on her chest whisper down her back, the nails giving a hint of how deep they could scratch and cut - but only a hint. "Did I ask you to hold on, hmm?"

Tall trees, giving witness, purple wildflowers scattered on the winds. After a while, the sound of the spirit of the valley created the perfect chorus line, crying out as she finally reached that elusive climax. She arched her back as far as she could, her release coating Muramasa's hand and dripping down his long nails. She took in a deep breath and he gave her a rough kiss, finishing this little session.

_Muramasa._

He sighed and quickly undid the bindings on Saira, releasing her back down from hanging on air. "I must go now." There was no need to state the reason for such a hasty evacuation; they both knew whose call would always be first in Muramasa's life.

As he faded away, Saira wondered if that would ever change. She saw a red wildflower dance on the wind one final time before settling next to a purple one. She intently hoped that the strange man would be all right. She had a bad feeling about all of this and it was beginning to show.

Don't whisper forever, Muramasa. To protect your precious shinigami, you will need to learn how to roar and _roar well_.

* * *

Kouga wasn't sure why he had tried to create the perfect scene for his wife — it didn't end well. Correction: it didn't end well for_ him_. He had held her tight to him as she fell asleep, after she had dressed him for bed herself. Still a shy woman, this was her treat, seeing her beloved husband with nothing on but the quiet confidence that swirled in those apple green eyes.

They had come together earlier for a light lovemaking session, but his heart wasn't in the same place. It was mainly to keep up the appearance that things were fine between them, even though the tension Soul Society was putting on him was breaking him down with each step. He tried to get lost in her gentleness, the way she grazed his face and traced the strong line of his jaw. It was difficult, strongly so.

It was normal for him to walk around at night around the manor, even to the point he had his own space in one of the outer houses. No one would bother him there or notice anything.

He decided to test Muramasa's promise.

_"Muramasa. Come out." _

A purple light enclosed his frame for a moment before he closed his eyes from the bright light. He found himself back in his inner world, with Muramasa waiting. He noticed a few changes to the place. Instead of the purplish-brown cushions scattered on the pillar, he saw apple green cushions set down comfortably.

Muramasa had a bright smile on his face upon the sight of his master, his hands reaching out for him almost automatically as he stepped lightly across the pillar to meet him.

"Kouga. I am so glad to see you."

Kouga noticed a strange reiatsu nipping at Muramasa, the thin wisps of it feeling slightly feminine. "Where did you go?"

There was no sense in ignoring the question. "You were resting. I have no need of sleep, as I mentioned before. So I went to see a fellow spirit."

"Why would you need to do such a thing...I thought..." Kouga's voice seemed faint, even slightly hurt that Muramasa could disappear back into that life so quickly after what they had done together. Did it mean anything?

Muramasa touched Kouga's cheek lightly. "I was upset, Kouga. I cannot serve your interests if I am unable to control my temper. I will not raise my sword to you either, so I had to find someone I could fight without such concerns."

He opened his arms wider to accept Kouga, pulling him close without asking. For being such a thin, willowy type of man, his arms were strong enough to keep Kouga in place, if only for the moment. He braced himself for the rejection he was sure would happen.

"What else happened?"

A sigh came from the whispering spirit. "She won a challenge, and I rewarded her. I was in the middle of it when you called for me. I left immediately."

There was a pause as Muramasa pressed Kouga tighter to him. "I'll never tell you such things in detail, unless you truly wish to know. However, I will not lie when they happen."

"Did you sleep with her?"

There was a soft chuckle from Muramasa as he rubbed Kouga's shoulders absentmindedly. There was the heart of Kouga's fear - he was worried that the events of the day before were not meaningful to him. They happened in such a blur, yet Kouga wanted to make sure they weren't temporary and never to appear in his life again.

"I wouldn't call those events sleeping with her. I followed my instincts, Kouga. She wanted me to do something I wouldn't do with you."

"Which is?" Apple green eyes looking clouded and dull, as if the question was automatic yet the answer would hopefully not be.

Sky blue eyes frosted over with concern, a change from their moments the previous day. "You persist in asking questions you don't really want to know. Ask me something else." It was harsh to say, but he would risk hurting him on the surface to keep from hurting his master's heart.

"Do you want...to keep doing this with me? You don't have to comfort and console me just because I'm feeling weak and helpless. I comfort everyone, that's my job." Those words came spring-loaded with more of that classic Kuchiki pride that seemed to radiate from him at every turn.

"To keep doing what with you? To give my life over to making you as happy as I'm capable? To see your enemies as my enemies and strike them down? Or..." He paused for a moment, reaching down to lick Kouga's neck with a slow flick of his tongue. "Were you referring to teaching you how to whisper, Kouga?"

Kouga shut his eyes and moaned, that soft touch making that familiar heat float over him in slow waves. Is this why he came here? Is this what his mind was on through the course of the day as he defended and served, instructed and maintained his composure that seemed to be fading with every moment?

He broke out of Muramasa's embrace and rested back on the cushions. He admired the soft padding and bright apple green coloring. "Come here."

Muramasa complied, easing down next to Kouga. No sooner than he eased up next to Kouga that he found himself pushed down on his back, with Kouga's reiatsu flaring to hold him in place. The intensity prickled his pale skin and his eyes popped open in surprise.

"Kouga?"

The expectation was a fierce kiss, but he was surprised again as a slow kiss was the order of the day. It started out chaste with Kouga merely pressing his warm lips to Muramasa's slightly chilled ones, but it deepened as time moved on around them. Their tongues met in a slow, easy way, with the eyes following suit.

_He looks so happy, so peaceful. I truly would give up my life for him to always feel that way._ A ghost of fear turned sky blue eyes into light gray storms of worry, a fact that Kouga did not overlook.

He broke off the kiss to smile down at his whispering, wandering spirit. "What's wrong?" He buried his face in Muramasa's neck, sucking on the skin lightly for a few moments before increasing the intensity.

Muramasa shifted, dragging his fingers gently through Kouga's hair. "I just worry for you sometimes - I know they fear the power you hold so effortlessly. I do not want to ever be separated from you."

"Even though you've demonstrated you can live without me?" The response had tinges of playfulness woven through the serious words, and Muramasa closed his eyes for a moment to savor the feel of Kouga's lips on his neck, his hands coiling their way deeper into his hair. He noticed that the kenseikan seemed looser, as if it was placed in the hair as a rushed afterthought.

Muramasa moved his hips against Kouga ever so slightly, feeling a rush of pleasure as Kouga bit down on his shoulder as a response. "Mmmph...I can't live without you, Kouga. Life without you is merely existence. I don't want existence, I want life."

Kouga paused his movements, pulling his head up to look Muramasa in the eyes.

Sky blue and apple green eyes meeting and coming to an understanding that went beyond words.

He looped his hand around Muramasa's, wincing slightly as the tip of those long nails scratched him.

He let his free hand wander down to Muramasa's sash, pulling it open and away from his body with a flick of the wrist. "I think...I might need more whisper lessons, you know. Maybe you could ...teach me some more."

Kouga noticed the thin yukata underneath the coat was a matching apple green, much to his delight. It was tied with a dark brown obi, which Kouga slowly untied. There was no need to rush today. Everything would be savored, explored, treasured as slowly as he could stand. He did want to move quicker, wanted to lost himself in Muramasa the way he did the other day. Soon.

Muramasa watched his master carefully removing the coat and yukata, feeling like a highly anticipated present being slowly unwrapped and admired. It was surprisingly warm today, with a gentle breeze curling around him and teasing his exposed skin.

It is so strange, this look in his eyes. He's looking at me like I am the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. I am not certain I deserve such high praise. The murmuring, humming spirit noticed his master just watching him. "Is there something wrong?"

"Just wanted to look at you, savor every inch of your body with my eyes before I begin tasting with my tongue, and continue touching with my hands..." Kouga trailed off, still nervous but nowhere near as nervous as the first time. He felt a sense of being in the right place at the right time, a sense of everything fitting together perfectly.

This was a perfect interlude to slip out of his own clothes, pressing his exposed flesh against Muramasa's, leaning upright slightly so Muramasa could see his body and excitement for this moment.

The spirit admired his shinigami's well-toned body, the way the sun had given him a light glow that was far from his own pale complexion and willowy form. Muramasa dragged his nails down that firm chest, stopping to circle each nipple a few times. He continued his exploration as Kouga held himself more upright to make it easier, exposing his body.

"You seem pleased."

Muramasa nodded, continuing his descent with those long nails until he found himself lightly tracing over Kouga's manhood, curling his hand around it gently. The first few strokes were slow at first, gentle by design. He looked up to watch the shinigami's — no, his shinigami's — face heat up with desire.

It was a game they were both playing, fighting the urge to descend into a wave of speedy touches, letting stress and frustration fall away in the heat of the moment. This was to be a slow seduction, a dance of exploration and pleasure designed to last as long as they could stand.

That was the plan. However, Muramasa knew very well that both of them were battling a hard challenge. He wanted to feel Kouga inside of him again, wanted his nails to scrape down that soft back all the way down to firm buttocks that sat atop even firmer legs.

So the touches started out light and increased in intensity slowly. It was a thrilling feeling to see his master's arousal growing with each stroke, the way his moans filled the space around them as those strokes became firmer as well as quicker.

The space between them seemed thinner than the head of a pin. Kouga was still straddled over Muramasa, watching the whisperer play with his erection, the hardness the physical representation of the desire that was already boiling within him.

He moaned, needing more and fighting the urge to break this slow, steady rhythm of theirs. One look into those sky blue eyes indicated that the illusion-wielding zanpaktou was in agreement. The small bottle appeared out of nowhere, and he made a mental note that their closeness had increased to the point that he didn't have to think to bring things into this world?

The lubricant was the only chill felt in the space between them, but it didn't last long as Muramasa arched his back lightly, drawing Muramasa's eye to the pale pink nipples that sat on that smooth pale chest. He noticed how hard those little nubs were, and he brought his hand down to first cover Muramasa's, then down to push it out of the way for a moment while he stroked himself with the lubricant-enriched hand. Remembering what Muramasa said about his nails, he took care of the problem by applying the slightly warmer lubricant against the spirit's entrance.

Muramasa moaned softly and flashed a bright, excited smile. To see him do more than scowl was definitely a sight — but only a sight for Kouga, the more he thought about it.

I really am happy. I really want this, more than anything - to feel him so close to me that we really do feel like one soul.

This thought from the spirit seemed to be shared by the shinigami, who slowly rubbed the tip of his arousal over that puckered entrance a few times before stepping back and deciding to use his fingers instead. He wanted to make sure Muramasa was as prepared as possible. That's what you did taking it slow...at least that's what he assumed ought to be done.

One finger went in slowly, with Kouga taking his time before slipping another one in. He sawed those fingers in and out slowly, enjoying the soft moans that escaped Muramasa's lips as he did this. They echoed in the space around them and Kouga took time to admire the sky blue eyes that were closed down to half slits, the soft moans that flowed from those thin pale lips.

"Need more...mm, Kouga..."

The sound of that deep voice whispering over his ears, sinking into his skin and lodging in his soul made him excited. He sucked in a breath and pulled Muramasa closer, returning to slowly press the tip of his aching need against the tight entrance of his new lover. He went very slowly, taking pauses as he slid slowly inside Muramasa. The lube made it easier but he didn't want to rush at all. He watched sky blue eyes for any changes or any messages to stop — not that he received any so far.

Muramasa moaned as he felt himself getting stretched by Kouga, welcoming the so-called intrusion. This was worth waiting for...almost like it was meant to be, being filled up like this. The scarf had slid out of place, revealing more of his slender neck but he was far more fixated on the slow rolling of his master's hips, the pleased look that reflected over those gentle apple green eyes.

They fell into a slow rhythm, with Kouga finally sheathing himself inside Muramasa fully. The slow steps were a tease, a challenge that ranked somewhere lower than shikai but higher than most of his other experiences. He enjoyed this, enjoyed the way the heat rose up to claim him. He could hear the water lapping at the pillar, the waves cresting and falling. He looked down at Muramasa again sweetly, running his hand across the pale cheek and down to rest on the smaller man's chest.

He closed his own eyes for a moment, losing the stress of his day in this moment, being here with someone who understood the troubles and torments of his heart - and released them with ease.

The inner dialogue was pierced by Muramasa's sharp nails digging into his back. It was a sign that they wanted more, needed more than just these slow rhythms that were driving them crazy. He increased the speed of his strokes, changing the angle a few times before he found one of the spots that drove Muramasa wild. He changed the pace sporadically, driving in with hard, rough thrusts over that spot, then pausing and caressing it casually as if the siege mere seconds before was just an illusion that never really happened.

Sweat beaded on Muramasa's forehead, dripping down his nose and making those curved locks of hair stick closer to his face than usual. He couldn't stop watching Kouga's moments, couldn't stop pressing his nails into Kouga's back or quiet the moans that escaped his lips so easily.

"So noisy..." Kouga scolded playfully, opening his eyes to stare into endless sky blue ones. "Have I given you something to be...vocal about? Hm?"

Muramasa looks at him intently with that playful smile still plastered on his face. "Perhaps..." He takes the moment to pull Kouga closer, to where their lips barely touch. The stare is continued as he whispers softly, "I have been told that sometimes...choosing _not_ to whisper is just as bold as the action to speak softly...what do you think?"

Those claw-like hands sing over Kouga's back, down his sides, then drawing back up to dance along his arms. The two of them go on like that, enjoying the way their bodies mesh and link together in a dance that seems to be growing faster over time.

The water below them seems to understand the mood between the zanpaktou spirit and the shinigami who has mastered him, the currents swirling and picking up as time passes.

Kouga's lips are back on Muramasa's shoulder, biting and licking as his hips move to a timely rhythm and pace. He felt that familiar heat rising, threatening to boil out of him. He looked over to Muramasa, noticing how close the spirit was to release himself.

"Let me taste those claws again...as I let go."

Muramasa disliked causing Kouga pain, but as he saw those lust-glazed apple green eyes, he realized he could not ignore the request that rang truer as an order than anything else. He twirled those long fingernails back over Kouga's back, digging a little deeper. He could always heal any damage later, and he had to admit it was a highly erotic sight to see. Every time his nails whispered and roared down Kouga's back, Kouga would thrust harder and harder, until it was clear he was rolling towards his climax rapidly.

He felt Kouga reach for his hand again, and he smiled at his master. "Fall off the cliff with me, Kouga. I've got you."

As he felt Kouga send wave after wave of sticky, moist heat inside him, he realized that while he could teach Kouga how to whisper, the green eyed shinigami could give him a few lessons on how to roar.

Their shared climax left both of them in quite a state of disarray. Muramasa quickly pulled a towel into view, cleaning his master carefully before tossing it aside and cleaning himself with a different one. He kissed those warm lips and smiled at the shinigami happily. "That was nice. However, I sense you will need to leave again."

Kouga nodded, moving to lie next to the spirit quietly. "Unfortunately, I never seem to be able to just escape here for long. It will look suspicious if I stay out any longer. I am not certain how much time has passed."

Muramasa nodded, noticing the water beginning to rise up against the pillar they laid on top of. "Do not worry of such things. By the time you go back there, you will be well rested."

He tapped Kouga's chest. "Please believe in yourself, and me. I will not fail you."

Kouga noticed the words that seemed tinged with so much sadness and he smiled brightly for the generous, kind sprit that seemed so afraid for him. He stroked the smaller man's cheek and nodded. "I trust you. I...maybe one day I'll ask you more about that zanpaktou you battled and played with. It could give us ideas."

He began to fade away, leaving Muramasa back to his thoughts and the slight soreness that ghosted over his entire body.

Things were not perfect - there would be more challenges and struggles for the two of them. However, as he recalled the falling red and purple wildflowers in Saira's world, he realized that he would be just fine.

After the wild session he and Kouga had, maybe - just maybe...passion could exist in his world, too.

* * *

**AN: I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. Whoosh. I fell asleep earlier after I wrote 'Sanctuary' and so I've worked on 'Decadence' all day. When the muse sucks me in - I have to finish. So ...I'm going to look forward to getting back to my routine. I do have a few last minute client orders to fill, so I'll have to pause my fanfic'ing to get that done. I'm hoping the long chapter doesn't scare folks off of reading – I'm really trying here. **

**I threw in the SairaxMuramasa action as a lark — and downplayed the KougaxWifey a bit. From the way I see Kouga in this story, he seems disconnected from Soul Society in general and I didn't want a long lemon there. **

**I'm aware that Saira's name is not Japanese, nor does she wear traditional Japanese clothing. I did that on purpose — the full reason will be established later in the Pillars series. That spirit will be more important as the series progresses. **

**There's not much to say – the story speaks for itself today, LOL. I truly appreciate all the reviews, alerts, and views my humble stories have received. It encourages me to write more and expand this series knowing that people are reading it! **

**Have fun, darlings. I couldn't get a Christmas fic out to you guys, so I guess I'll have to write some after-Christmas smut for your pervy pleasure hehe. OK – I'm out! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa story**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. **_**Seriously**_**. Do you *think* there would be such a lack of lemon in canon land if it was? Serious Business.**

**AN: Keeping it short and sweet up here — we're back to "Decadence" and it's following right after the events in 'Sanctuary'. **

**First scene follows the pattern established, with Saira & Muramasa with Kouga & Muramasa to take up the final half of the chapter. It's a 'save the best for last' type of thing. This will be the last time we really see a deep interaction on Saira(OC)'s part with Muramasa in a lemony manner for a while. **

**Warnings: Same as Chapter 2 - yaoi & het hard lemon scenes, overt BDSM themes (dom/sub & Master/slave), implied role reversal, bondage, supernatural, rough play (with plenty of sensuality too, don't worry) ...I think that's it. **

**Storytime in the place to be!**

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Saira dangled the coin on a string in the air, catching it in her palm tiredly. She didn't expect Muramasa to come back, not when he needed time to take care of his shinigami. Her shinigami, on the other hand suddenly wanted to chatter on and on about the happenings of Soul Society, something she was not interested in at all. Not unless it involved Muramasa or Kouga.

That second name irritated her. She knew from the link she had built to Muramasa that things were not right. _I wonder why he did not come find me. _

That was their game -- when one was hurting, the other would comfort. When one was restless, the other would entertain.

She knew they didn't have long. It didn't stop her from being unable to stop staring at this man in the tall white coat. She found herself smoothly stepping over the wide valley, until she was basically nose to nose with Muramasa. Her smile was subtle.

"How delightful of you to grace me with your appearance again, _Mura-chan_."

Muramasa closed his eyes. Teasing to the very end, not that he expected anything different from Saira. "Indeed, Saira."

She giggled, playfully circling him for a moment. "Oh? No flowers - you must have rushed here."

Muramasa furrowed his eyebrows together, turning away for a moment so Saira would not see the slight blush that was creeping over his features. "I guess."

Saira chuckled and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "I am glad you take good care of your Kouga, my dear. Maybe I'll learn how to do that for mine."

He turned to watch her carefully, unsure of what to do. His time here was short, and therefore that meant that his time with Rosen Saira was as well. Would she ever be on the same level as Kouga? Absolutely not. However, he was beginning to see that she did admire him a great deal and he did not want to hurt her, even if he had no control over the circumstances.

"We only have one more day left. I …came to see you to say goodbye."

Saira nodded, biting her lip. "We learn to adjust, Muramasa. That's all we can do."

There was no bed of wildflowers to fall into; there was no easy laughter for the moment. The two zanpaktou spirits chose instead to walk the valley, with Saira slipping her hand carefully in the crook of Muramasa's elbow. It was a comfort for both of them -- being able to walk in silence, with the weight of the future bearing down on them.

After a while, Muramasa began to speak. "I had been looking forward to getting to know you better. Do know that."

"I know."

"I don't know if I'll be able to use my ability to travel back to Soul Society without alerting them."

"You and Kouga have the same signature. It is not safe for you to come back."

"That's…kind of you."

It was an uncomfortable dialogue for an uncomfortable time in both of their lives. Muramasa wasn't sure where to go with this woman -- what was he doing here when he should be accompanying Kouga in his preparations? The greened eyed shinigami had shooed him away, citing a need to think before the departure time.

Saira had gone from tugging him along like a well loved toy to standing in front of him, her dark eyes searching his.

"What do you want from me?"

"I could ask you the same question, Rosen Saira."

She stepped back a moment, and then smiled. "You never finished my indulgence." She flashed Muramasa a wicked grin and stepped forward again, letting her lips barely brush over his while her hand reached for his.

Muramasa felt that darkness tugging over him, the other side that he only got to play when he was away from his inner world of pillars and water. "Are you sure you want me to finish? You didn't seem to appreciate being tied up."

She didn't get to answer as Muramasa kissed her, his tongue exploring her mouth for a while. He broke off the kiss and spun her around, his hands carefully pulling her backward into a slow arched position. "Are you really sure you want me to play this game with you again, hmm?"

He wrapped an arm around her waist and moved them back to the cluster of trees, letting her see them slowly curling back into the prison that had held her in place before. He let her go for a moment, stepping back suddenly as those familiar rope-like branches sprang at her arms and legs. Another set of branches untied her robes to open them, leaving a half-dressed Saira exposed to Muramasa's careful eye.

Once she was restrained, he held eye contact with her, a wide grin on his face. "You do realize the irony, do you not?" He watched her face, noted the glazed look of lust in those dark eyes. He paused long enough to move so he could lean against her, his lips pressed close to her ear. "All things in life are really about choice. **This is no exception**. You didn't move or run even when I gave you the option. Your inner world is still yours and while I could override your efforts if I felt like doing so, you're allowing all of these things to happen. So once again, Rosen Saira...what does that say about you, hm? What does it say about you… letting me do these things to you?"

He nipped at her neck, licking and tasting the tanned flesh there again. He savored these moments with her, hearing her grasp as another branch curled between them, undoing the hidden knot in the sash that was holding his coat closed. Saira noticed the sag of the fabric and the departure of those slightly cool lips coasting over her neck. She laughed. "Using my world against me again?"

Muramasa raised an eyebrow, seeming to not pay attention as another set of branches moved in to open his coat to get at the dark blue yukata underneath, opening it for him so he wouldn't scratch the material with his nails. "Using it against you? Why I'm not sure you can call it using it against you when you seem to be enjoying it so much..._Sai-chan_."

She watched him step back to expose himself to her, her eyes taking in the pale skin, pale pink nipples and the cluster of curly dark brown hair that highlighted an erection that was already halfway to its goal.

"Muramasa..."

He feigned surprise. "Oh? You've noticed now, have you? You said I didn't finish your indulgence...and it's not very fair to leave a lady hanging...is it?" He moved back to her ear, purring, "Don't you remember the flowers, Saira? You shouldn't tease me ...unless you're sure you know what you're getting yourself into." He carefully held silence for a few short moments, letting the slow slide of his arousal against her panties keep her occupied and distracted. He rewarded the next gasp and moan that fell from her lips with a slight chuckle. "Such a focused student! You've not only noticed...but you've begun to _-feel-_ it too, haven't you? Tell me what you're thinking right now, knowing full well what's happening."

"You're going to ...oh gods, you're going to take me aren't you...with..." Saira's voice was crackling and fading, rising for a moment only to fall back into a silence that was hard to break not out of propriety's sake, but simply out of being overwhelmed. Muramasa's reiatsu was holding her attention as much as the bindings and his actions were.

"Tell me to take them off. Tell me to finish what we started." His voice was calm, whispering over her ears.

"T-t-take them off, please. I...I ....I need you to...finish...finish what we started." The movements of Muramasa's nails were matching his voice, whispering over the upper band of her corset and over each covered nipple a few times before sliding the fabric down to tease the dark brown nipple hiding underneath. It was making it hard for her to sound coherent, but she did her best, telling Muramasa the words they both wanted to hear out loud.

She half expected him to slide into her quickly, burying himself in her, but this was not so. His entry was teasingly slow, making sure to pull back to look her in the eyes as he began to take her.

"You seem so surprised. I thought you wanted me to finish what we started, _Sai-chan?"_ His smug grin was back where it belonged, and he kissed her quickly on the lips before continuing. "Yes, I said I would take you. I didn't say anything with respect to speed."

He shifted to wrap his hands around the small of her back, pulling her toward him closer, his nails barely pricking her soft skin. He noticed the soft sigh of pleasure from her as she felt his nails nip her back.

"I'm starting to think you're just as much into pain as my shinigami, _Sai-chan_. My, such common interests the two of you share."

She flushed deeply, not wanting to admit how good those nails softly scratching her back felt, especially as he moved inside of her.

"Harder."

Muramasa chuckled at the one liner from the princess, and hummed. "Harder? You're such an intelligent one - surely you can be more descriptive. What am I supposed to do ...in a more forceful manner _Sai-chan_?"

"Mmm...everything...stop being so damned gentle with me and just take me! I want to feel those nails against my back ...more..." She closed her eyes, feeling those long nails of her whispering friend beginning to press into her back more, just as she requested. She moaned a lot louder, enjoying the blend of pain and the fuzzy, tangled waves of pleasure Muramasa was giving her with each stroke.

He trailed his tongue along the slope of her jaw. "Oh? Just take you? That sounds...strange, like it's supposed to mean something. I mean, I'm already taking you. Then again...there's that lovely word you like so much..._harder_. Taking you harder. I'm not sure that's your indulgence though, Sai-chan. Maybe you're mistaking my pleasure for yours. I've heard that's a common error."

Saira shut her eyes. "Ugh, are you always a tease?" She wished she could hold him closer to her, wished she could really move at all. Anything would be better than hanging helplessly like this, even if it felt absolutely _decadent_.

Muramasa prided himself on exquisite control — how many other spirits had he dominated over the decades he already spent with Kouga? He enjoyed the warmth and tightness of the exotic woman so delightfully bound in front of him. "Of course - as I recall...you wanted me to do things I would not do with my shinigami...hence this is…. how it is..." He trailed off, slowly giving Saira her request. He moved faster, closing his eyes. Taking a woman in this way was ..._interesting_. He didn't get the chance often and since he primarily preferred men, he didn't go off looking for such things.

He let more of his reiatsu wrap itself around Saira, providing a vibrant purple frame to showcase the way she looked. Her eyes were closed, her dark curly hair fluttering around her face. There was a look on her face that spoke volumes about her state of mind. She was lost in ecstasy, and he couldn't say that he was fully in control. This dark something was in control of him, creating and weaving a scene that pleased them both.

Long nails alternating between whispering over tanned flesh and biting into it.

Loud moans, more cousin to howls than anything else falling from plump pink lips.

Deep voiced groans curling around long, loud moans like reunited kindred.

"I can't!"

Muramasa went back to whispering in Saira's ear, laughing softly at the woman's distressed outburst. "You can't what, _Sai-chan_? You can't do something? Surely you're capable of so much, so tell me..." He trailed off, nibbling on the vulnerable ear, "What is it ...that you seem to not be able to do?"

That was starting to become too much for Saira to deal with. Her eyes popped open widely, her body twisting back as much as the restraints would allow. She felt like she was falling off a cliff into unknown water that she couldn't escape from. It was a strange sensation that made her tingle from head to toe. She saw Muramasa's strangely smug grin fade and be replaced by something that looked similar but surprisingly more sinister.

She felt the restraints fade as he held her close to him, the two of them falling back onto the valley floor. The bondage session over, she pulled Muramasa back on top of her, kissing him passionately. They fell into a strange thread of conversation, laughter, kisses and teases.

"That all you got?"

"Mura-chan!"

"Yes, Saira? I do not believe you're finished..."

"I already..."

"Do you think I demand so little that I'd only accept one, Sai-chan?"

One shifted effortlessly into two, with Saira's nails homesteading in Muramasa's back.

"And you?"

"I haven't decided."

Laughter on her part, a suggestive eyebrow on his.

"I ...want you to."

Consistent, deep strokes growing quicker with each moment.

"Where?"

"I think you're in the right place."

A quiet laugh from the whisperer.

"Saira..."

The unsaid words underneath the statement made Saira chuckle.

"That's the spirit...now let's finish...what we started..."

A complete break on control, with the wind carrying both of their cries, laughs, moans, and sighs of pleasure.

"Muramasa...mmm."

He blushed, looking down at the disheveled black hair scattered and covering equally dark brown eyes and lying pressed against plump pink lips. He kissed Saira one more time and moved to rest beside her for a moment, holding her close.

"Some goodbye, eh?"

"I did not know this was saying goodbye for now, Saira. It's only ten years."

"A lot can happen in that timeframe."

The seriousness of the situation crept back in, leaving the two spirits at a loss for words. To truly say goodbye would mean also admitting how much the spirits meant to each other, which was something neither party would own up to.

"Take care of your first love, Mura-chan. He's a stubborn one who hasn't realized how much you need him. Do not forget...sanctuary."

She sighed, resting against him for a moment. She felt him kiss the back of her neck calmly and then disappear for a few moments, only to return back in his normal state, his white coat picking up slightly on the wind.

She followed suit, running a hand through her long curly hair upon her reappearance. Her robes were now white and purple, with the same middle panel design as his coat.

He gave her a calm smile. "It will be all right, Rosen Saira. I will do what I can."

His nails reached out to tear at the air around them, creating a swirling void. "I should get back ..."

She nodded and waved. "Do not forget ...the left hand...is the seeker."

He stepped into the void and watched it close up after him. He would not forget, couldn't forget. As much as he hated to admit it, this was his sanctuary, and he would make sure to protect it as much as he could.

She sighed, turning to look at the inner world that seemed so eerily quiet now. Maybe it's time for me to reach out and follow Muramasa's example.

"Mistress! I'd like a word with you!"

* * *

Muramasa was not expecting his shinigami to be waiting on the pillars when he finally reappeared into his own inner world. Kouga immediately grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off his feet slightly. He found the shinigami's lips pressed against his hungrily, those apple green eyes sparkling with a mixture of mischief and sadness.

Kouga broke the kiss off, letting Muramasa stand on his own. "Where did you go today? I was hoping to see you..."

Muramasa curled his long nails back and forth, thinking. He remembered Kouga's jealousy the last time he was honest and it made him think twice before speaking. "I went off to see Saira before we had to go."

Kouga nodded and noted that he smelled a light scent of roses on the whispering spirit as he held him close. A knowing smirk played on his lips. "Oh? Did you sleep with her again?"

"There is no 'again', you know. I took her today." There was a slight air of indifference to the words that made Kouga raise an eyebrow.

"You make it sound like she's only useful for the moment."

Muramasa ran a hand carefully over Kouga's cheek. "Precisely the way it's supposed to sound, Kouga. My primary concern is for you — everything else is a far distant second."

Kouga closed his eyes for a moment. "Aren't you going to miss her?"

Muramasa shrugged. "It's hard for me to miss anything when I know that I'll be with you the whole time. When I'm with you...it's hard for me to think about anything."

Kouga was slowly trying to absorb the words. That level of devotion shocked him, and the lingering kiss they shared still felt heavy on his lips. He tried to remember how Muramasa made things more comfortable and waved his hand, creating a set of dark blue cushions that were lumpy and misshapen.

Muramasa fought the urge to laugh, especially when Kouga was trying so hard. "It's a start. I'm surprised you don't have finer control over your inner world. We can fix that together."

Kouga blushed. Damn, why can't my cushions come out looking like his? Is that a sign I'm not as connected to this place as he is? He shook off his thoughts, moving to sit down on the cushions and scowling when he felt how hard they still were. He stood up and eyed Muramasa ominously. "They're ...not right."

Muramasa stepped behind him, wrapping his arms around the taller man's waist and clutching his hand in-between the clawed fingers carefully. "You want to visualize the shape better, something...rounder and softer. Imagine it sliding into this world as easily as you hold your sword. Now try."

Kouga closed his eyes and thought about a better shape, along with more padding. He decided to add some red cushions in there, to match the pendant on Muramasa's scarf. When he opened his eyes, he saw thick purplish-brown cushions nestled against red ones. That wasn't what surprised him at all.

It was the deep voice just over his ear and the approval that swirled in and around the words that made Kouga feel good. "Very nice and..._inviting_." The tongue that belonged to that deep voice licked his ear and Kouga shivered.

The stress of the day — of packing his things, of having to watch Ginrei-dono move around him as if there was nothing to say to his own son-in-law, and even the constant silence from his wife melted away as if it had never been there in the first place.

He pushed Muramasa lightly down onto the cushions, barely letting the thin man fall before he was on top of him, reiatsu crashing down with full force. He wanted to erase all of it, every last trace of his problems and stress.

"I hope your earlier adventures...haven't taken your appetite. I really...want you."

Kouga seemed unsure of the words after they had been said but they were far past the point of no return.

Muramasa smiled and looked up sweetly at his shinigami. "Didn't I tell you? I'll never reject you, Kouga. Never."

Sky blue eyes that went on forever, unable to look away from apple green ones that demanded nothing _less _than forever.

Kouga ran his hair through Muramasa's hair and leaned over him easily, his toned arms flexing instinctively to hold him up. "I've been waiting for this all day."

Muramasa lightly extended his slender arm up and around to scratch Kouga's shoulder lightly, feigning innocence for the second time today. "Oh? Waiting for what? A lesson in the importance of controlling your reiatsu? Of manifesting things in your inner world? Or this strange position you've put me in?"

Kouga chuckled, dipping his head to bite down on Muramasa's shoulder, feeling a new rush of heat come over him as he picked up the silent teases in between Muramasa's act. It was an act, considering what they had done before.

_Long claws digging into his back as he plunged into a world of warmth and tightness..._

The moans that rose out of his whispering spirit's mouth held him into the moment, made him even hungrier for pleasure. He licked and nibbled and sucked on pale flesh that seemed to ache to be touched as much as Kouga ached to be the one to touch it.

"Kouga..."

There was no complex translation for the need in Muramasa's voice, and Kouga continued to tease. "Shhh...didn't you tell me you wanted me to follow my instincts?"

Muramasa shut his eyes tightly, Kouga's overwhelming presence making it hard to think about anything else but those hungry lips and the hardness that was caressing his lower belly as Kouga ground up against him.

A small grin played on his lips. _I can't believe how excited he is. For me. My Kouga._

His thoughts were beginning to become quite disjointed, the worries and concerns he shared with Saira fading away quickly, leaving only thoughts of his strong and beautiful shinigami. He felt strangely aroused simply knowing how excited Kouga was to be with him.

Kouga pulled his face away from the spirit's neck and kissed Muramasa again, locking eyes with the whispering spirit for a long moment before finally breaking the kiss again. "It's so easy to get lost doing this. Yet you seem to have control where I don't. I envy that."

Muramasa chuckled, drawing his hand to graze Kouga's chest, lightly toying with the deep red scarf. "Key word there is seem, you know. I...don't have any control left."

Kouga noticed the way the spirit's hand played with the scarf and showed gratitude for small favors. He reached up to put his hand over Muramasa's, pulling the scarf away from his body. "Instincts." A small grin played on Kouga's lips as he carefully wrapped the scarf around Muramasa's head to cover his eyes. Leaving those thin pale pink lips bare was an erotic sight and spurred Kouga to continue.

He rolled off the man, moving back on the cushions. He slipped out of the hakama, shivering as the cold air tickled and teased his arousal. He moved Muramasa closer to him. "I tasted those nails of yours over my back...I think you need to taste all of me..."

Muramasa couldn't see, but he could hear the excited tones in Kouga's voice. It was arousing to see his master so fully in the moment and clearly operating on his deep desires instead of suppressing them. He reached out with a hand to carefully search for Kouga's hardness, hearing a sharp intake of breath as his hand carefully curled around it. He leaned forward to follow the line of his arm and hand, taking a few moments before his lips brushed over the tip. He was rewarded with a little fluid creeping from the tip and he playfully chided his shinigami. "My, my, excited? I didn't know one could get so ...aroused by following their instincts."

Kouga was about to snap off a reply when those pale lips engulfed the tip...of everything. He didn't just feel himself being suckled and tasted on the outside — he felt like his whole soul was being massaged, teased, savored. "M-M-Muramasa! Ah..."

Slow, deliberate strokes, with messy brown locks wavering back and forth as Muramasa slowly worked the tip of his shaft. Kouga watched on with an amazed eye. _He's so good at this. It feels like he wants to do these things to me ...not because I asked....but because he really __enjoys__ doing them with me._

As the strokes began to deepen, Kouga let out a loud moan, throwing his head back. "The look on your face...when you're doing this to me...it's incredible..."

If Muramasa had any hope of regaining his control or his clarity, those hopes were shattered after hearing Kouga's words. _Does he realize what those words mean...what they're doing to me? _

He lapped hungrily at Kouga's length, wanting desperately to please his green eyed shinigami and hear those moans flow across those beautiful lips like the greatest incantation in the world. It was his very own spell that curled around Muramasa and refused to let him go until Kouga was satisfied.

Kouga watched his world shift, felt the breeze become warmer and noticed how wide the pillar had become. He started to realize that he could sit like this forever and feel that warm wet mouth, but instincts inspired him to further heights of decadence.

He tapped Muramasa's shoulder lightly. "Mmm...you've done such a good job...but I really have to take you now."

Muramasa let go, albeit with a slight bit of reluctance. He wanted to make Kouga as satisfied as possible, and worried that he may not have done so.

Kouga sensed that slight undercurrent of hesitance and reluctance and he stroked the pale cheek, getting closer. "Don't worry...you were...beyond excellent...I just need more.

He snaked a hand into the inside band of the sash that kept Muramasa's long coat on. "However...you're still wearing way too many clothes." He chuckled softly to himself as his hands moved on autopilot. He admired the overall look that seemed so innocent looking to be so erotic: that long white coat split open, with the dark blue yukata underneath, still tied in place. The red scarf still kept his whispering spirit from seeing anything, and Kouga preferred it that way. Instead of opening the yukata and then pulling all of it off, Kouga decided to simply open that final layer and lightly push things out of the way. He concentrated carefully for a few moments, and was grateful when the bottle of lubricant manifested into his hands. "I'm learning."

Muramasa nodded, staying neutral until moved into place. He had a feeling where they were going, but he was content to let Kouga explore and discover things on his own. The warm wind felt nice on his slightly-cold skin. "Good; I'm enjoying the studies very much myself."

There was a certain sparkle in Kouga's eyes, but Muramasa couldn't see it. Kouga quietly coated his fingers with the slick oil, then used his other hand to guide Muramasa close enough where the spirit was straddling his hips, the cool flesh teasing and further arousing him. He bit back the urge to just drive into the willowy man in front of him, and moved to get him ready. His oil-slick fingers teased the puckered opening a few times before sliding in, trying to get Muramasa as prepared as he could. There would be times where he'd choose pain over pleasure for the whisperer, but now was not one of those times.

Besides, he thought to himself, it's so much more arousing to see him writhing in pleasure...

He finished with his task, dipping into the small bottle again before repeating the process to an erection that knew where it wanted to go and was not happy with waiting much longer.

He pulled Muramasa upward and slowly lowered the slender figure onto his length. He kept the makeshift blindfold on; enjoying the visual look it gave Muramasa a great deal. He made the steps slow, letting out a sharp groan and a soft hiss when he found himself completely covered in that familiar heat squeezed and held captive inside the whisperer.

A visible shudder ran through Muramasa as he was lowered all the way down on top of Kouga's hardness, the move a mix of slight discomfort and an incredible sense of being filled up. He waited for Kouga to take the lead again, noticing that the shinigami had stopped his movements.

"Kouga?"

"Just...wanted you to be comfortable."

"I ...appreciate that...but ...we need to move..."

Kouga took that as all the sign he needed to let go and get things rolling. He moved Muramasa's long slender legs around his waist and began to move slowly in and out of the spirit, humming slightly to himself. I wonder where that spot is now, since the angle has changed.

He took his time with the strokes for now, deciding to start slow and build them to a fever pitch that would delight both of them. He changed angles a few times, pulling almost all the way out before shifting again to drive back in, slowly increasing the intensity of each stroke.

The look Muramasa had overall pleased Kouga. He liked the mix of the scarf covering the spirit's eyes as well as the fact that Muramasa still had most of his clothes on. It felt sneaky, like he was defiling something innocent and hiding it with those outer coverings still somewhat in place. Yet his view was perfect and he adored what he saw.

While Muramasa couldn't see, he could certainly feel. He could feel the way Kouga held him so securely by the waist and he could certainly feel it when Kouga slid out of him, creating that empty void only to dive back into him. He enjoyed being taken like this, unable to see but to feel everything and touch Kouga in small ways.

Those long nails found their home in Kouga's back, scratching over the skin lightly.

"I was wondering when those beautiful nails would return to me."

Muramasa smiled, feeling Kouga bring him closer as they shared a passionate kiss, tongues sliding against each other as the whispering spirit pressed the nails into Kouga's back harder. I hate knowing that I'm hurting him...but he moans so loudly when I do.

True to form, Kouga's muffled moan could be heard around the kiss. He moved back and a bit and moaned again, feeling Muramasa's nails digging into his back. "Do you know what you...what you do to me when you let me feel those claws of yours?"

Muramasa blushed. His long nails were something that he long felt ashamed of, especially since he had to be so careful not to hurt his Kouga with them. He was pleased that Kouga found them pleasant. If they are good enough for my Kouga, then they are fine as they are.

"Oh? What do you mean...what do they do to you? Is this something I'm not aware of?"

He teased Kouga with alternating between light scratches and deep pinpricks, raking his nails down the man's back. He felt Kouga respond by moving faster, driving into him. He felt Kouga change positions and continue, his length beginning to brush up against that soft spot that made him feel so electric in the previous times they were together.

Kouga heard Muramasa cry out and he nipped Muramasa's shoulder with his teeth again, pressing his hands tighter against the man's waist. "I think you know...and now I have to see your eyes..."

He tugged the scarf away, his own apple green eyes widening in shock to see the look of complete pleasure consuming Muramasa. His light sky blue eyes looked beautiful like that, dazzling with total pleasure. He locked eyes with Muramasa and sighed softly. "You look beautiful like that."

"Oh? If I am beautiful, it is merely a reflection of you, Kouga. Your strength and beauty is the only example I have of how things are truly supposed to be."

Kouga smiled and kissed the spirit deeply, cutting off the need for any further conversation. They were starting to get too close, with Kouga plunging into him in a rushed frenzy. Control was slowly falling out of the window as they rocked against each other.

Muramasa moaned, parting his lips wider to accommodate Kouga's explorations, closing his eyes slightly as he felt that spot on the inside massaged, pressed and manipulated to keep him on an edge that was sliding him slowly off the cliff and downward into a decadent descent they both knew all too well.

Kouga let go of those soft pale lips he had held captive, noticing the slight shivers that were visible up and down Muramasa's body. "Someone's getting close..." He trailed off, looking the spirit up and down. He moved his left hand off Muramasa's waist and wrapped his fingers around the slender man's erection, pumping him slowly.

Muramasa glanced down at the action, biting his tongue to keep from crying out. "The way you're touching me..."

Kouga grinned, moving back to suck hard on the pale flesh of Muramasa's neck. "Yes? The way I'm touching you...what do you mean...after all...I seem to be touching you in a lot of places..."

Muramasa breathed deeply, fighting for every piece of control he could. "...your hands...I can't hold on much longer."

"Neither can I. Those nails taste delicious, by the way."

Muramasa dug them deep for the effect, and Kouga let out another cry of pleasure. "Don't stop that...let's finish what we started, yes?"

If Muramasa had been in the right frame of mind, he would have remembered that was the _second_ time he had heard that phrase today. However, he was so lost in pleasure that he couldn't think of anything outside of this moment they were locked in. He couldn't think of anything except the bright green eyes of his shinigami, those hungry lips on his neck, and that hand...that hand stroking him, teasing him, knowing exactly what it wanted — not that Muramasa had any complaints about that.

"Kouga!"

That was the last coherent statement Muramasa had before his release came for him, squeezing him into that familiar embrace. His body arched up, making his nails trail upward for a moment before scratching Kouga repeatedly, creating tiny scratches that welled up moments after. He grunted, feeling the warm heat of his release of his belly.

Kouga smiled. "I could see that scene for a thousand years and still view it with wonder like I did the first time." He continued to tease Muramasa's pale skin, licking and biting while he drove into the whispering spirit.

While his nails were not as long, he still pressed them into Muramasa's back as he let go, as he grunted and moaned, trembling visibly as it all hit him at once. He was able to let go here, to have control here, to be able to take and satisfy his inner desires.

_Follow your instincts, Kouga. _

He waited a few moments, enjoying the shared warmth between them. They were a right mess, but Kouga didn't care right at the moment.

He decided to practice more manifestation and change, closing his eyes and imagining the scene changing. He pictured new cushions, full and round, of a deep honey color, with a matching blanket to go with it that carried a softness not found in the hard world outside his mind. He imagined gentle water cleaning both of them, drying them off before fading away.

When he opened his eyes, he got most of what he wanted. He laughed slightly as he noticed Muramasa looking at his sopping wet hair. "A little too much water, but very nice for the rest of it."

Kouga noticed the spirit didn't move to adjust his clothes, leaving them open. As if sensing the unspoken question, Muramasa shrugged. "You seemed to like it. Though..." He faded the white coat away, leaving the yukata still hanging open. He raised an eyebrow at the grin on Kouga's lips, and sighed. He faded the yukata away too and slipped under the blankets.

"Why did I ever teach you how to whisper? I think I've created quite the demon in you."

Kouga heard the teasing under the words and he removed the remaining pieces of clothing, feeling slightly odd without his scarf around his neck and chest. He quietly wondered why Muramasa always left his scarf on, but he was becoming too sleepy to really care about much more than lying next to the slender man and feeling that pale, cool flesh against his.

He sighed, knowing that when he woke, he would have to deal with the shinigami, with Soul Society, with being thrown into a land that did not understand him and was pleased in the idea that they did not have to understand him.

As he closed his eyes, he heard Muramasa's content sigh and felt a slight rush of relief greet him. If he had Muramasa...one person in this world that cared enough to stand with him...he could be strong enough to stand tall.

Apple green eyes closing finally, filled with a real understanding of the road ahead ...that went beyond words.

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**AN (long, *offers you a bento box to nibble at*): I didn't expect these chapters to start becoming this long. I am taking your feedback to work more on exposition and detailing. Because of the themes I write about both in 'Sanctuary' and 'Decadence', it requires me taking more time to explain and make sure the reader understands what's going on. **

**First, I wanted to make sure everyone was still with me :) My lemons usually have some range of BDSMness in them, because that's more of my home than straight up lemony stuff. **

**Starting back from the top, I debated with my beta hard before writing the MuraxSaira lemon more than anything. I had originally wrote the OC more/less as something to be cast away — but after talking with my beta we both liked the idea of having a balance between Muramasa's usual tireless devotion to Kouga and also to connect the plot to another Pillars fic that I have planned later. **

**From their standpoint, Muramasa is leaving and neither one of them are very sure what will happen for the next ten years. It's a decent amount of time and it's got them worried. So that's the perspective I wrote the lemon from, and built it off their interaction in Chapter 2. I like playing with the idea of seemingly dub / non con actually being yes-con — there are numerous references in that scene to the way things are between those two. I didn't want a sappy romance but at the same time I didn't want full sadism. I hope I've struck some sort of decent balance. **

**I noticed that Sai and Mura's scene was really long, so I wanted to make sure I gave Muramasa and Kouga that much time if not a little bit more. I actually had a longer scene with Saira to explain the backstory, but I'll save that for another chapter in 'Sanctuary' - it is indeed important, but I wrote this chapter more/less because I needed to show the comfort side. I tried to patch things up between Kouga and Muramasa enough in 'Sanctuary' to make this Decadence chapter feel more realistic? I know Peals-of-Laughter likes it when Kouga is nice, but at the same time I didn't want the obvious tension both of them are still under to go unnoticed. **

**My perspective at this point for Kouga is that he's trying to find something to cling to. His world is beginning to fall apart and the person he looks to so highly (Kuchiki Ginrei) is pretty much deciding to abandon him. So both Kouga and Muramasa are looking for comfort and touchpoints to cling to, and that's where this chapter comes in. **

**I will usually always write Kouga and Muramasa in a more...comforting manner than I will when Muramasa is wandering around harassing other zanpaktou. I did do a sympathetic cut for Saira since it's clear they have some sort of connection but that may or may not change as the story progresses. **

**I am still updating and moving this story forward, partially due to the high level of feedback and interest this story has raised. **

**This is actually the first thing I did for my New Year, even before client work. :) I have a fairly light day ahead of me, so I figured I'd do this update, get to another stopping place with my client work, and then update my other fics. Sanctuary will get another update, and my Moonbathing fans will finally get Chapter 5 — yes, that DOES indeed mean my beta is back in action. We are both thrilled to hit the ground running again. **

**That's all I have to say...I think. I've checked over this chap to make sure I caught all the italicising and sectioning I needed to do, as well as any errors or places that don't seem to flow well. I'm human. Go easy on your crazed fangirl :) **


	4. The Exploration of Seclusion: Part One

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. **

**AN: Keeping it short up here. This is their first night / closeness-session in Hueco Mundo. I figured this was a good way to break in the Ten Years of Seclusion arc on the lemony / wild side. **

**Usual warnings apply: Yaoi, implied D/s, slight bondage, rough play, tease and denial...male-male smexytime.**

**Lemons? In _my_ fanfic? It's _still_ more likely than you think. ;) **

**Mad shout outs to all of my readers -- I almost stopped 'Decadence' because I didn't think anyone would want to read such an obviously lemontastic tale. I was definitely proven wrong on that. I'm honored for all the reviews, alerts, and faves. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **

* * *

Being a rational spirit most of the time, Muramasa logically assumed that Kouga would want nothing else besides sleep. He had managed to actually close his eyes, though sleep was a mixed feeling. His dreams were vivid, filled with the events of their final moments before getting ready to leave Sereitei.

While the dreams were vivid, they were fleeting thanks to a certain green eyed shinigami who had crawled on top of him again. He opened his eyes slowly, finding a very hungry looking Kouga staring at him.

"You should be sleeping."

If Kouga noticed the light scolding, he didn't comment on it or let it stop him. He licked his lips, already weaving his fingers lightly through those messy brown locks he adored so much. "I've been sleeping my life away all this time. Why _more_ sleep? That's not what my instincts are telling me."

Muramasa chuckled as Kouga immediately yawned and he sighed. "I've truly unleashed a demon in you." He trailed his nails over Kouga's chest, admiring the well-toned look. _I wonder how he maintains such a powerful physique._

Kouga dipped his head down, moving Muramasa's arms upward with his hands. He kissed him deeply and then broke the kiss off to nibble at the hollow space at the base of Muramasa's throat. He had a hard time tugging the scarf out of place to keep exploring.

"Why do you keep your scarf on?"

Muramasa watched Kouga's face carefully. "It's just part of me now, I guess. I have a tendency to leave it on when I wander."

Kouga smirked. "Don't you mean when you _whisper_? I bet the ladies like it."

Kouga heard the soft chuckle from the spirit and blushed. _It feels so natural and easy to joke with him — is this what real lovers do?_

_Lovers_. He found himself looking down at his whisperer, deep down into sky blue eyes that watched him, that saw through him in a way that made him feel quite exposed even when he was fully dressed.

He let go of Muramasa's wrists, watching the spirit pull them down to undo the bright purple scarf with its red pendant accent. The long pale neck that was fully exposed looked as unexplored as Hueco Mundo itself. He straddled Muramasa's thin body carefully, wanting to look at him some more.

This was the first time they had actually done anything more than walk beside each other in the physical world. He had only seen Muramasa then as part of a mission, another soldier at his side to cut down anyone that went against Soul Society. He now realized that while things were a little different in the physical world, Muramasa was still a handsome man. He wanted to feel those nails over his skin, even if it would take longer to heal than when they were lost in the world of pillars and oceans.

"I am only concerned about how much you like it when I ..._whisper_. That's what you're thinking about now, isn't it?"

Kouga blushed, cutting his eyes over to see that wide grin on Muramasa's face. It was such a smug grin that Kouga couldn't help but approve. It was the grin of a very confident man who knew exactly what he was doing to Kouga.

"Could you be more confident than you are now?"

Muramasa hummed and tapped his nails together. "Maybe."

Kouga sighed, looking around them. This was not necessarily where he imagined them to be when he got the courage to try their intimate moments in the real world. It was colder than he wanted, darker than he liked. The only reason he was able to see was the torch flare shoved into a rock outcropping against the wall. He'd have to feed it reiatsu again, but at least they weren't in the dark for this.

Muramasa watched his shinigami quietly, pleased to see a very hungry and lust-filled edge to the man's features. It makes him look so incredibly beautiful when he looks at me like that.

"You look undecided."

Kouga blushed. The scene felt different now, felt different because this was really happening in the physical world. He imagined getting the slender man out of his clothes again, of keeping him close to his body. He licked his lips absentmindedly thinking about what it would feel like to be inside him in this world.

He wanted to find out, and find out soon.

"We haven't done...those things in this world. It's different to me, I guess."

The two of them were smart enough to realize that this was a turning point — the games of the mind were private, secret between them. Moving into the physical world meant also moving into a deeper level of a relationship neither of them really understood or expected. Yet the looks on both of their faces held the understanding needed to move forward, and for the moment, that was enough.

There was some hesitance on Kouga's part, and he needed to make some sense of things. "Are you...okay with...the way things are?"

For once, there was no teasing, smug reply. "Kouga, you are strong and beautiful."

Kouga cracked a thin smile. "Sidesteps my question effortlessly, which is what I would expect from my zanpaktou."

Muramasa waved a hand, flexing his nails back and forth a moment before giving a real answer. "Kouga, I could not be more satisfied with what we have if I tried. If anything, I should be asking you the same question. I know I look...different."

He had seen his reflection before, had seen it reflected on the eyes of the spirits he conquered in the past, in the rivers, lakes and streams of the inner worlds he invaded, and in mirrors in the physical world when he could sneak a moment to step out of the inner world without being detected. He felt he looked different and knew he wasn't popular in the world of the zanpaktou for his odd appearance, mainly the long nails he refused to alter in any way. It was part of him, part of him the way his ability to whisper and control was. He would not let it go, and since Kouga liked his nails they were definitely going to stay the way they were.

Kouga reached out to close his hands around Muramasa's, lightly rubbing the cool skin that seemed a bit cooler since they arrived in Hueco Mundo.

"Different? I have never seen another zanpaktou spirit, so I can't compare you. However...I like what I see."

He grinned, licking his lips as he remained on top of the spirit, "I like what I tasted too. Hungry again for it, really." He shifted again to bear down on that soft pale neck, his lips seeking to devour as much flesh as they could.

"Kouga...it feels....amazing."

Kouga sucked and nibbled at the slender spirit's neck for a few moments before moving to whisper against the pale ear. "And to think I'm just getting started....maybe it feels different since we're in the real world...you taste delicious...more..."

His hand reached down to tug at that sash with its complicated inner knot, secretly pleased with himself when the coat split open. He was more careful this time since they would need their clothes for a while, moving to leave both the overcoat and the yukata underneath on for practicality's sake.

"Are you sure...you want this...here...ah..."

Kouga slid his hand down to let his fingertips tease and explore the length of Muramasa's manhood, approving of how arousal was beginning to make the slender man underneath him quite hard. "To be able to feel this with my real hands? Absolutely."

Muramasa blushed. "Oh, Kouga."

The words and the soft, content sigh that followed after them heightened the waves of arousal that were already crashing into Kouga from every direction. He really doesn't see what those words do to me.

The slender spirit arched his back teasingly, shivering as he felt Kouga's strong hands touch him so gently, so teasingly. He felt all the blood rushing to the target of Kouga's focus right now, and he blushed. Being aroused in the familiar surroundings of the inner world was one thing, but to feel so swollen and aroused here was a completely different feeling.

Muramasa brought his hands up to trail along Kouga's arms, entranced by the lines of the muscles there. He really doesn't realize how beautiful he is. I couldn't be more proud to belong to this shinigami.

Kouga watched those nails prick his flesh carefully, almost as if Muramasa was aware of how varying the pressure of those claws could create different emotions in him. He idly remembered the pack and reached down on his left side to go through the large pack. The bottle he pulled out made his whisperer chuckle softly.

"My, it seems you were prepared."

Kouga blushed. Indeed, the bottle was a lot larger than the one Muramasa manifested in the inner world. He had to go all the way out to a rough district in Rukongai to get it, and the shopkeeper had teased him playfully. Even without the kenseikan in his hair, it was obvious that he was a shinigami and even more obvious that he was a high ranked one to boot. A glare and a scowl was enough to make the man pause, but he just pulled out a fan and hid his face.

_"Now now, don't go blowing your top, sir. Discretion is my specialty. I just usually don't sell that size often."_

_"Is it really that big?" _

_"Well, considering you only need a little here and there, that bottle oughta last you practically ten years and then some!" _

_"Great. I'll take it." _

The look those apple green eyes shot him could have taken out a few Hollow on their own, which amused Muramasa. "It's nice you were thinking about me, but I didn't think...you'd want to do this here."

Kouga's right hand continued to stroke and tease Muramasa, giving him all the answer he needed. Just in case the whisperer didn't get the hint, Kouga chuckled. "I want to do it everywhere...kami, if it wasn't ice cold outside, I'd want to take you there too."

It was nice to take things a bit slower, to draw them out and not have to worry about having to rush off. Not to mention it was a treat for his eyes to wander down Muramasa's exposed body so freely. He pulled Muramasa upright, kissing those cool pale lips hungrily.

Muramasa studied those apple green eyes carefully, understanding what Kouga needed._ He truly is following his instincts. I don't think he realizes how far gone he is right now. _

Feeling Kouga's reiatsu curl and press against him in the real world was even more arousing than Muramasa could have ever expected. He returned those hungry kisses, feeding the fire with his own hunger, need, and want.

The realization that Muramasa wanted him as badly as he wanted the thin spirit was doing a serious number on Kouga's control. He broke off the kiss and bit into Muramasa's neck hard, causing the blue eyed man to cry out.

"Kouga!"

"Not done with you yet..."

They fell into a rhythm that was guided almost exclusively by instinct, familiarity, and a deep need to explore each other in this new reality they had been thrown into.

It was hard for Muramasa to keep his signature calm when Kouga was surrounding him completely. He felt his shinigami — yes, he could truly claim him now — on the inside, oil-slick fingers taking even more care than usual to get him ready. Was it the anticipation of being filled and taken that excited him, or the actual act itself?

He felt Kouga on the outside too, those hungry warm lips tasting as much of his pale flesh as they could while those strong fingers stroked an erection that tapped out its impatience in a rhythm of throbs and pulses.

_I feel like he's consuming me. He's going to devour me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. _

Those lips paused their feast, and the apple green eyes came back to watch Muramasa with a fierce intensity. "I don't know why you make me like this...I feel..."

"Consumed?"

Kouga laughed, the sound making him feel warm and a little strange. He never really got a chance to laugh in Soul Society, to just relax and enjoy the moments as they were given. There was a certain irony of finding freedom in the middle of nowhere, but this slender man underneath him made him feel a strange sort of happiness he hoped he could hold on to.

Somewhere in their tangled movements Kouga had slipped out of the hakama, leaving the top of his shinigami garb in place partially based on the way Muramasa eyed them with glee. He tied the signature red scarf around the slender man, letting it cross over one nipple before coming from behind to cross the other. The vibrant red shined against the pale man's skin.

They had settled into a position they were starting to enjoy, with Muramasa's long legs curled around Kouga's waist. Arousal against arousal and eye to eye, with the spirit barely tracing the lines of Kouga's muscled arms with his long nails.

"Keeping those claws from me on purpose?"

Muramasa pretended as if he didn't hear him. "It will take me longer to heal you here on the outside."

Kouga groaned as the whisperer lightly tapped a nail against his skin. It pricked his flesh for the slightest of moments before going back to that terrible teasing. He growled, his green eyes flashing with impatience. "I...really want ...you."

Muramasa smirked, ignoring the gruff tones in Kouga's voice. They were driven by nothing more than need, and nothing less than complete desire. His shinigami could be very impatient when he wanted to be, but he couldn't help but these his green eyed lover a little bit more.

"Want me? How do you want me? After all, look where I'm sitting. You always can have me, just take me where you'd like me to be."

_It's getting harder and harder not to just take him right now._ Kouga bit into the side of Muramasa's neck, deriving a little satisfaction from that sharp cry that fell from the spirit's lips.

"Oh? You know how to do something else besides whisper and tease? Let's see what other sounds I can get out of you."

Muramasa could barely move to respond or react before Kouga began pressing the crest of his erection against his opening. His shinigami was quite insistent today, biting and sucking at his neck with a wildness that stirred something deep in Muramasa.

He enjoyed being taken like this, before overwhelmed and consumed by Kouga. Yet that dark _something_ bubbled up and pulled him down into desire and lust until he was sure he was losing control over everything. The nails Kouga valued so dearly were moving with a mind of their own, digging more into the soft flesh around them. They pricked flesh and scratched, scraped and curled in hard enough for Kouga to take notice.

"Oh yessss....you never do it this hard. Don't...don't...stop."

"Match my moves then."

Muramasa wasn't sure why he said it, why he needed to have Kouga just take him, to stop being so kind and careful. He wanted to be fully consumed by the lust that Kouga was trapped in. He wanted them to be consumed together.

Every second that passed stripped another piece of Kouga's self-control away, and that husky little command of Muramasa's was sending him deeper down a path he wasn't sure he knew how to get away from. He placed his hands on Muramasa's shoulders and lowered him down, hearing the soft moans and groans. The feeling of being so deep inside the whisperer sparked a new coiled heat that nestled in his belly, his eyes closing in ecstasy.

"Kouga...oh, Kouga..."

Normally, he wouldn't move, preferring to wait for Kouga. As they were pressed up against the rock walls of the cave, he decided to be more active. He shifted so that he could slide his body up and down along his shinigami's hard length, completely lost in the sensation of being emptied, refilled, stretched, and _consumed_.

Kouga's eyes shot up and he moaned loudly, completely focused on the movements of his whispering spirit, this slender man that looked so erotic riding him. _He really enjoys ...what we do together. _

Muramasa curled his arms around Kouga so that his hands were steady around the shinigami's back. He left scratches, bruises, and small pinpricks in Kouga's skin as he moved up and down with a speed that seemed to increase with the same pace that the dark _something_ moved. It was consuming him the way Kouga's hunger and need was, and he couldn't pull away from it.

Kouga loved the way Muramasa looked, with the vibrant red scarf still crossed over his chest, fluttering on the air as the spirit impaled himself on hard flesh that ached and craved release with every single passing moment. _Does he realize how beautiful he looks when he loses control like that? Does he realize he excited he makes __me __when he's like this? _

Everything seemed to fade away — the chill of Hueco Mundo, the frustration of being away from the other spirits he was used to, his feeling of helplessness over not being able to help Kouga escape this punishment - everything. What remained were two people unable to stop moving together, to stop moaning and howling, to stop the whirlwind release of tension, frustration, and restlessness.

As the set of apple green eyes met its match in sky blue ones, dialogue wasn't necessarily needed. Yet the two couldn't help tease each other, even as they pleasured each other with reckless abandon.

"Creative."

"Oh? You...like it when I get active like this...?"

"I have no complaints."

"Oh? No praise?" A touch of nails placed strategically for tangible punctuation.

A loud moan. "Haven't you been hearing my praise all this time?"

"Oh. Right. I'm touched."

"I think the word is filled."

"I'm that too."

It was good to banter back and forth, to be able to fully enjoy each other without any authority looming down over them. The only thing at the moment that seemed to be creeping toward them was a release that both of them craved. It was still sparkling out of reach, but they had both seen and desired it.

Kouga's back was a canvas devoted to a complete expression of lust and hunger, with Muramasa's nails creating the shallow lines that were slightly puffy. Those would heal fine later, and Kouga knew he could trust the spirit to take care of him.

Their lips crashed together, and Kouga found himself just as overwhelmed by Muramasa's passionate response as much as the way the spirit skillfully used his hands. Kouga wrapped his hand in-between them, reaching to curl around Muramasa's manhood gently.

Those gentle strokes were driving Muramasa crazy, accompanied by a hungry tongue that easily explored the depths of his mouth like nothing else.

_He wants me. He wants me. He wants __me__. _

Their open dialogue turned into a series of unnecessary warnings.

"Kouga..."

"Yes, me too."

"Oh, Kouga..."

"Mm...ah...ah...the way you say my name...it pleases me. A lot."

"Kouga...you...this..."

A move to bite down on Muramasa's shoulder as he couldn't take it any longer, the tight moist heat that kept sliding over him was too much to fight.

That first rush of liquid heat inside him was enough to send Muramasa right after his shinigami, the combination of touches on the inside and outside too much to bear any more. He felt that dark_ something_ covering them, covering his vision and the way he saw everything. Little glimpses made it all worthwhile as he fell off the edge of everything.

Deep green eyes fluttering open and closed in a move that would put even the greatest butterfly to shame.

Long nails scratching, teasing, pressing in enough to be felt without causing too much damage.

His own moans, combined with the arch in his back as he came over Kouga's strong hand. He felt tired, but deeply satisfied. The dark _something_ that had stolen them was quick to drop them back into their world, though its remnants could be seen around and in between them.

Kouga was the first to speak, looking at the wreckage they caused. "I...wow. That was amazing for our first time out here."

Muramasa curled up close to Kouga, sighing at the mess they had made. He shivered as Kouga pulled a towel from his traveling pack and cleaned them off as best he could. "We'll hunt for some water soon." Muramasa trusted that voice, as tired as it sounded. He sensed the coin on a string buzzing and vibrating again, but couldn't tell why. Even if Saira was trying to contact him, he didn't want to be disturbed right now.

As Kouga laid him down to sleep again, Muramasa couldn't help but notice the small sigh of contentment that slipped so naturally from Kouga's lips.

I'll do anything to make it so that he sounds like that all the time. Muramasa felt his shinigami's hands slide around him, not bothering to remove the scarf that still adorned his chest so suggestively. It felt like a badge of pride, a way of marking him to the world that he belonged to this shinigami — his shinigami now. If he could stay like that for a while, it would be good.

The final sound that Muramasa heard before he slept was Kouga's soft murmur behind him.

"Muramasa..."

_I am here, Kouga. Do not worry. _

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**AN: That's another chapter of 'Decadence'! I decided to continue the 'exploration' theme a little bit more. I'm trying to keep the obvious Dom/sub lines quietly masked – I want them to really just enjoy each other in 'Decadence' since their lives are already in a tailspin with everything going on. That last 'thought' of Muramasa's is from the beginning of 'Sanctuary', just in case you weren't sure. ;)  
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**I had to take a few artistic licenses – I wanted them to be able to see each other. I'm trying to keep the non-canon-ish / implausible stuff to a minimum. I was inspired by the torch due to Renji's tiny Shakkahou at the beginning of the Hueco Mundo arc.**

**This was a little bit shorter than the previous chapter, since I'm not writing two lemons in one chapter anymore. At nearly 3700 words, I think you pervy monsters should get a clear picture of what's going on. I tried to italicize and/or bold everything that had a second meaning or a strong emphasis. In addition, their thoughts are generally in italics. The flashback is italicized as well.**

**I tried for a little humor, a little warmth and ease given everything else going on. I also decided to write their first time in Hueco Mundo in the physical world versus their usual hangout. It is indeed called 'Pillars' for multiple reasons, so if you like the inner world setting you'll get plenty of that as well.**

**Let's see – I wanted to keep a few things mixed in, such as the way they blur the lines of pain and pleasure. I'm also enjoying the way they comfort and reassure each other. I'm well aware that this deviates from the Kouga in eps 250 & 251, as well as the Muramasa we've seen before in the Zanpaktou Rebellion fillerarc. Since this is AU, I'll be adapting their personalities a little bit – I hope no one's too touchy about that. I really like where the story is going and I hope you do too.**

**I'm still trying to figure out how I'll continue this story as a group. Do you want me to break down the years or do a running summary type of thing? I lean more towards breaking down the years – where a chapter maybe covers a couple of days or a week instead of day by day as it is now. What say you?**

**For my Saira (OC) fans – still no Saira. I know I wrote in a way for those two to stay in touch but remember Muramasa can't go into Soul Society (his reiatsu is essentially Kouga's reiatsu, as far as I can tell from looking at the anime)**

**I cannot express how much your support of the Pillars series as a whole means to me. This grew from a dream I had to a oneshot to a crazy series that I'm writing happily for. It's far from over but I'm feeling blessed to have so many people hanging along for the ride!**

**See you guys around! This is probably going to be my last update for a couple of days – since this is the first week of the New Year, I expect to be pretty stacked.**


	5. The Exploration of Seclusion: Part Two

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. **

**Warnings: Yaoi, bondage, role reversal (uke!Kouga and seme!Muramasa), overt BDSM overtones, D/s games, sex toys...pretty hard lemon. If you're a regular Decadence reader, it's got the same themes as the other chapters before. **

**AN: Very quick author's note, as I stayed up hellaciously late to get this update to y'all. Takes place after the events of 'Sanctuary' in Chapter 6. Kouga and Muramasa are still in the inner world. I wanted to write a role reversal scene, where Muramasa gets to roll seme for a change. Experimental, would love to hear your feedback. I do try to address all reviews as I see them – doesn't have any way to see who I've already written to, and the system routinely likes to trash things I put up. I DO appreciate the reviews and I thank everyone that's been sticking along with this storyverse. If you read Decadence, I assume automatically you also read Sanctuary. Some of the events referenced may not make sense if you aren't a Sanctuary reader, but they don't stand out so badly you won't be able to follow along. **

**Storytime in the place to be!**

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It was a rare treat that Kouga was actually awake before Muramasa. Usually the spirit was kneeling next to him while he slept, constantly on alert for anything that might harm him. Right now, Kouga figured the extra exhaustion on Muramasa's part would at least keep him asleep a little while longer.

He took a moment to think on everything that he had been surprised with hours earlier. There was a strange warm feeling threatening to smother him at the thought of Muramasa putting himself through so much pain just to protect him. It felt like more than just a zanpaktou protecting his master in a strange place.

There was also a little bit of embarrassment of feeling so excited to have such a place to be. When he lived in Soul Society, he and his very Kuchiki wife had an entire suite of rooms to explore — this didn't compare to that world in the slightest. Yet he felt more comfortable here than any time he had ever fallen asleep in the great Kuchiki fortress.

He would do something to thank the whisperer whenever he decided to wake up. It was only the right thing to do.

His mind flashed a couple of ...interesting ways to express his gratitude, causing him to blush further. If he had felt these thoughts rush at him a year ago, he would have immediately dismissed them. However, a year of freedom to explore each other in Hueco Mundo had led both of them across a strange new world that was exciting, arousing, and becoming quite addictive by the day.

"Kouga?"

_He says my name like it's the most precious thing in the world to him. I can't get enough of hearing him say my name like that. _

Kouga looked down at a sleepy-faced Muramasa who looked much, much better than the frail form that had been slumped over the doorway of this home. Those long nails curled back and forth slowly, while the slender man arched his back carefully.

"I'm here. How are you feeling?"

Muramasa raised an eyebrow. He realized that on some level Kouga really did care about him, but his shinigami rarely put it into words. _Kouga truly was worried about me. About __**me**__._

"I am well, Kouga. We should be getting back soon." Muramasa moved to get up, only to find himself pushed back down by Kouga.

"My, I've created a demon in you." It was a classic reply but Kouga noticed a bit of wary interest woven in between those words. He licked his lips, deciding that he wanted to try something new.

"I ...wanted to thank you for...everything. This is lovely."

_Tch, that sounds really dumb now that I said that out loud. Kami, why can't I find the words to say what I really mean? _

"It is truly my pleasure, Kouga." The deep, husky tones that Kouga had grown to adore over the last year were back in full effect. It was making it hard to really think about the next moves he needed to make.

Muramasa tilted his head slightly, studying his shinigami with interest. "May I help you, Kouga?"

Kouga wasn't sure why he was moving to kiss him — he didn't say anything different or special. Yet it was that simple politeness that caught him off guard and made it so difficult for him to hold back.

After a while, he pulled himself away from those thin pale lips, taking a little bit of their natural chill with him.

"Sorry."

Muramasa sat up and smiled slightly. "After 12 months of dealing with your explorations, I'm sure I've grown used to it." He chuckled and dropped his voice into a careful whisper. "You never answered my question, Kouga."

Kouga stayed close to the spirit, unable to take his eyes off the man. There was something hidden and dangerous about him, even now. It was a quiet something, a _dark something_ that always stayed hidden when they spoke in these intimate moments. He felt it the first time they were together in Hueco Mundo, when he felt those nails spiral out of control and do things that left Kouga breathless ...and wanting more.

"Yes, you can help me." He moved to hold Muramasa closer to him, quietly burying his face in those dark brown locks for a moment before continuing. "I ...need to know what the other side is like."

Muramasa sucked in a breath, lightly tapping his nails together. "The other side, Kouga?"

Kouga nodded, carefully stroking the slender spirit's hair. "A year ago, our first night...together here. You seemed to go to a completely different place. You weren't like...we usually are."

Muramasa shrugged. "I like what we have, Kouga. Why change it?"

Kouga fought the urge to chuckle. It sounded so much like something he would normally say. Their roles seemed to be slowly reversing in so many ways.

"It might be fun."

"Fun?" Muramasa sighed, moving to stand up and stretch his long legs. There were so many things that came to mind if he understood what Kouga was really trying to say. He had stepped back into their existing dynamic to avoid that dark stranger appearing again. What was that hiding inside his mind, anyway? He cared deeply for Kouga and wanted him to be satisfied - control was not part of it.

He was torn. On one hand, the idea of controlling Kouga — even if only for the moment and behind closed doors — was quite appealing. Although he spent most of his free time controlling other spirits, he never thought to change the dynamic he and Kouga enjoyed so far.

As much as the option appealed to him, Muramasa was quite aware that even the reverse side has a reverse side — this would be no different. He had fallen back to default dynamics and hierarchy because he was truly afraid of that _dark stranger_, the way it had made things fall so easily out of control before. He would never forgive himself if he hurt Kouga in the process and knew from past experiences that once someone took damage that way, they never fully recovered.

_You want to. You know you do._ That other side of him whispered over his consciousness with all the skill he would expect from another facet of his persona. _So he wants to thank you? Why not take such a beautiful man?_

_Because __**I**__ don't trust __**you**__. _

_You have no trust in yourself? How interesting. That is neither here nor there. You know what he wants, don't you? It is impossible for you to deny him anything, isn't it? _

Muramasa let out a sigh and tried to at least give the appearance of having things under control.

Kouga felt those hands with their long nails scratch down his back lightly, with Muramasa's voice following in one of the softest whisper tones he had ever heard. "Yes, it would be fun, wouldn't it? Now, if you really want this...you can't go halfway, Kouga. From start to finish...I'll ...fully be in that mode of thinking."

He couldn't check those sky blue eyes to see what they held, having to fallback on the way those hands moved. It was different from their usual timid exploration — those hands were predators stalking across a smooth plain and taking anything they found along the way.

"I really want this. I'm willing...to go all the way." The voice sounded hesitant, but he hoped Muramasa would continue. I've never not been in charge - even here, he gives me so much control and choice. What would our time be like if I let things change places for the moment?

"Fine." Kouga shivered at the strange tinge of authority that radiated from such a short reply. He saw a large mirror manifest a few feet in front of them, a full length that showed him held in place so easily by those slender hands. That wasn't what surprised him about the scene.

Muramasa's signature white coat was replaced with a black one in the same style, except with a blended white and purple trim for the middle panel. The sash that held it in place was still its normal coloring, except it had a jet black brooch pinned in the center. Instead of the signature brownish-purple circles around his eyes, they were replaced with smoky purplish-black rings. There was a definite tinge of smoke-gray in the fur collar around his neck, and the boots on his feet were as jet black as the rings on his face.

How did he do that? He didn't even move. He looks...so amazing...

"You didn't notice it earlier, Kouga?" That deep voice curled around Kouga from what felt like every direction, followed by hands that openly stroked their newfound territory. A single nail pricked the thickest part of his shoulder and he trembled. After a slight chuckle, the whisperer continued. "I told you before that I can shape this inner world any way I choose, as long as you don't truly make moves to stop me. You wanted me to go...how did you say it? All the way? This is the opening game."

Kouga gasped as he watched Muramasa remove the scarf first, his hands being careful to set it aside without damaging it. "I won't need it here. You are always so proud of that scarf, you know. I had toyed idly with using it against you, but I have other...plans for you yet."

He's taunting me, daring me to say something...so why am I so speechless?

The hakama came next, removed with the same care as the scarf though much more slowly. Kouga moved a hand to reach back to try to touch one of those hands, as they liked to do during their more intimate moments. He was rewarded with a sharp slap across his bared bottom, and a look of annoyance on Muramasa's face.

"I didn't tell you that you could speak or touch, did I?"

Kouga shook his head. A quick glance at the mirror revealed a strange look in those sky blue eyes that he didn't understand. It was a hungry look, a lustful look, but it had something else blended in that he wasn't sure about.

Muramasa pulled his arms backward lightly, creating a thick solo cuff with a soft inner padding to wrap around Kouga's wrists. He wanted him restrained but comfortable enough to enjoy the show that was slowly falling into place.

Kouga was still standing upright, with the shihakusho top still mostly in place. He felt Muramasa lick his ear, traced the edge of the shell before slipping into the inner edge gently. He moaned and tried to move a little from side to side.

Muramasa let out a sharp laugh before moving to bite down hard on Kouga's shoulder. He heard a loud cry of pleasure escape those warm lips and he continued forward. "Ah, why am I not surprised you're so impatient? Even when...you slowly watch yourself be bound and presented to me, you wish to rush things along? Are you so concerned that I will not finish what I started?"

Kouga watched himself be explored, tasted, devoured by cool, pale lips that had an agenda of their own. He tried to stay in one place without moving, his eyes looking down at the remnants of his uniform. He was so exposed even though so much of his clothes still remained. "No...I...oh!"

Those teeth had gone back to nibbling on him, tasting him again. He felt Muramasa's lips on his neck sucking on the tender skin, and he remembered all too well this was something he often tortured the whisperer with in the past.

Kouga felt those little pauses were absolute torture. He wanted more, needed and craved more than what was happening.

"I haven't gagged you on purpose, you know. Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

Kouga felt that telltale blush creeping into his cheeks again. "I thought you were going to take me..."

The wide grin on Muramasa's face should have been a warning to Kouga, but he didn't understand the deeper meaning. "Oh? Let's see - you've found yourself in a room of my creation, bound by cuffs of my creation, and missing part of your uniform. You seem to be _quite _taken indeed. My, what an interesting position to be in, my dear shinigami. What else should I do next?" The words were delivered with such playfulness, yet Kouga started to hear the underlying dark tinge to each and every one.

He noticed Muramasa's left hand seem to disappear and come back with something that looked fairly long and thin. He saw that long grin in the mirror and felt a little afraid.

_No. I will not be afraid...he's being so careful not to hurt me, even now..._

Muramasa waved a hand quietly, tapping his nails together a few times. For each tap of the nails, Kouga saw parts of a long railing appear, with the top covered in a thick leather pad. It was wide enough along the top for him to rest most of his weight on, if he predicted Muramasa's next moves correctly.

Kouga felt himself being pushed forward on the railing, where he could still see...everything. He noticed the slight curving and adjusting of the mirror as he was moved into position.

"Part of seeing the other side, Kouga, is to truly be able to see what's being done at any time. You have to at least see it done once before the mind will imprint the steps you'll have to take from there. You have to be in a position where you feel it, too."

Muramasa finished his small speech with pressing his hand down on the center of Kouga's back, smiling all the way. It was different from the smiles he would flash Kouga's way during their usual time alone together. This smile was far sinister, and it added to the overall effect. He was the same person, but for the moment, he was far from the normally faithful and polite spirit that Kouga had grown to know.

_It's like the man I know isn't even really there anymore. _

Kouga began to close his eyes as he noticed those slender hands reaching for that strange white wand. "What is that?"

"I'm not a monster, you know. You need to get ready."

"Oh." Kouga tried to piece together everything going on. "Your hands..."

"Ah, my dear one, you are into pain but I think that's a bit past your threshold." A quick tap of his long nails made Kouga realize what he meant and he squirmed at the thought.

That deep voice soothed and consoled, with the right hand moving to lightly ruffle Kouga's purple-black locks. The skilled fingers undid the kenseikan carefully, running through the bright shock of red hair after it was freed from the headpiece. "Ssh. I will do many things to you today and anytime you want to switch places - but I won't cause _that_ type of pain."

Muramasa set these things aside, moving to call in the small bottle of lubricant. "Some of us don't need a massive sized bottle to last us forever and a day."

The light ray of humor seemed out of place in the scene, but Kouga appreciated it for distracting him from his nervousness about the situation. He saw his reflection: bent over a railing, albeit a comfortable one, while those hands were moving around to get him ready.

_I wonder if he gets excited about the idea of taking me, the way I get excited about taking him. _

He licked his lips, a move that made Muramasa chuckle. "I like that you're...excited."

"Aren't you?"

"Indeed. I am. Hence why I have to slow down." The slender man leaned over his ear and hummed softly, his deep voice slipping out very quietly. "Do you realize how tempting you look like this? Your uniform is mangled, your nobility signs have been removed...and don't think I haven't noticed..." he paused, his left hand dropping the wand to reach out and cup the swollen length of the shinigami's hardness, "...the _extent_ of your excitement."

Kouga let out a loud moan, his eyelids fluttering. "Oh...the way you touch me..."

Muramasa stayed in place, slowly stroking that swollen length, taking care not to let his nails scratch the sensitive skin. "Oh? There's a method to the way I touch you?"

"More...oh please more..."

Kouga felt like he was just going to explode from what he was already feeling, but the sense of this only being the beginning was getting him far too excited than he expected to be. He bit his lip, watching the reflection in the mirror.

"I'm torn between tormenting you...and giving you what you want. After all, my dear shinigami, isn't that what I encourage you to do? Follow your instincts? Should I really continue to follow mine?" The question was punctuated by a light squeeze in the midst of those long slow strokes.

"Yes! Mm, you should...all the way...like you promised. But you're still dressed...and ...I'm..."

"Not. You aren't dressed at all...and yet you still have so many pieces of your outfit on. Do you know why?"

Without waiting for an answer, Muramasa continued. "Because it pleases me. No other reason really matters. Sure, there are other reasons — I'm still dressed for the same reason I just gave you. I think you need to learn patience, my dear shinigami..."

He hummed a quiet tune as he stood up, letting go of Kouga completely. He created a blunt-edged hook, letting it float on air for a moment before using it to undo the sash that was still keeping him modestly covered up. He removed the black coat, leaving behind a dark purple yukata with silver moons decorating it in every direction. The hook made quick work of opening it up, and he dismissed the hook as soon as it finished. He pulled his clothes apart, making sure Kouga could see.

"Onward we march...do you know where we're going, Kouga?"

_He looks so beautiful like this. Those deep black rings around his eyes..._

These thoughts were hard for Kouga, who had never dreamed of doing this for anyone. He was always on top, always in charge, with no need to really communicate anything to anyone. What was the point when he could take what he wanted anyway? On the battlefield, there were very few, if any, that could stand up to him when he wielded Muramasa. In the home, there was no question of opposing him. Not in matters like this, anyway.

He sucked in a breath and nodded. "You're going to take me."

There was a sharp smacking sound that pierced the air as a reply, following by a soft chuckle and a slow hand that massaged the affected area in slow circles. "No. Yes. It is indeed true that I'm going to...how do you say it...take you? Yes, that's it. However...that's not completely correct."

He paused to move back into what Kouga had spontaneously dubbed one of his favorite positions for moments like this, with Muramasa's slightly chilled lips right next to his ear. "What I'm going to do is a little deeper than that, Kouga. I'm going to _devour_ you. I'm going to _absorb_ you. I'm going to _inhale_ you. I'm going to _consume_ you. Do you see the difference?"

The coherent side of his brain registered that last piece of conversation happily before dissolving away; leaving a raw primal side that knew exactly what it hungered for.

Kouga nodded limply, sighing with relief as Muramasa moved to take the slim wind in his slender fingers, covering both his hand and the device with the slick oil they saved for moments like this. He moved to repeat the process on Kouga himself, laughing softly as he squirmed and groaned.

He stepped over to the side, so that Kouga could see him rubbing the oil on his own erection, taking time to make it more of a show than a chore for the green eyed shinigami's benefit.

"Yes..."

Muramasa fought to stay in character even though that intense look of longing in Kouga's eyes made him feel incredibly cherished. _He really wants me. Even though he knows...he knows I have this side...he still wants me. __**All of me**__._

He stepped back behind Kouga, slowly moving to grind his hips right against the taller man, letting the shinigami realize on his own that excitement truly was a two-way street.

He applied another coat of the oil over Kouga's puckered opening, using the wand to work the oil in slowly. Even though the wand was no wider than one of Kouga's fingers, he wanted to take his time with this.

Kouga felt the light press of the wand against his opening and he tried to relax. He knew enough that being nervous and uptight wasn't going to do him any favors. He tried to remember that he did ask Muramasa to show him this side of things. It wasn't so bad, really — even those sharp swats against his rear sent tingles all over his body, bouncing around and coming back to settle into his belly.

He wanted more. Fortunately, Muramasa was more than happy to oblige.

The whisperer's hand worked the wand with careful moves, listening closely to Kouga's moans and gasps. He pulled it out and looked at it, noticing it wasn't quite the shape he wanted. He added a flared out base and then slid the still-slick length back inside Kouga carefully.

"So gentle with me..."

Muramasa presented Kouga with another one of his signature sinister grins, shrugging lightly at the idea. "I told you what I was going to do. I'm going to control you, devour you, absorb and inhale you, Kouga. I never said that pain was a prerequisite to those activities."

The spirit noticed how ready Kouga looked, and he was fairly prepared to take his green eyed lover. He slowly pressed the tip of his length against Kouga's entrance, being sure to go very slowly and pause every few moments.

Kouga moaned, twisting his body slightly, unable to take his eyes off the mirror. Muramasa looked absolutely seductive, with his messy brown locks scattered over his face, and his yukata slightly hanging down his shoulders. He wasn't sure how the garment was managing to stay on the spirit's body, but it was. His eyes fell to the way Muramasa's free hand rested on his hip like it belonged there by default. He was being filled on the outside by that completely lustful look on Muramasa's face. It really did radiate from his entire face, from those smoke-ringed sky blue eyes right down to his lips that seemed slightly parted by design. It was a look that suited him, with an aura of complete authority to go with it.

Is this what losing control is really like?

"How is it?"

"...amazing so far...really. more?"

"Of course. Middle game time."

_Are all things chess to this man?_ Kouga held back a chuckle of his own and reminded himself that this was indeed his zanpaktou — he fully expected a calculated strategy from a spirit that seemed to excel most at controlling everything around him.

Muramasa slowly began to move back and forth, taking the opportunity to explore the toned, handsome figure underneath him. It was as tight as he expected, which is why he still wanted to be completely careful. He would work on the angles in a moment, but it was just time to get things into place.

Filled. That was the only word that Kouga could think of. He was being filled on the inside by a burning, persistent heat that felt like it was consuming every spare place inside of him. It was his perception of course; logically he realized that there was a definite end, but it felt like he was being filled, emptied, and then re-filled over and over again.

Muramasa noticed Kouga looked like he was missing something. He thought for a moment, and remembered his nails. He brought them up so that they were visible in the reflection of the mirror, flexing them back and forth. "You were looking for these? My Kouga is such a glutton for pain — I can't even give you a break from it and you're dreaming of them, aren't you?"

He ended his slightly rhetorical question with a few pinpricks along Kouga's shoulders, dragging his nails over until he reached that long stretch of the shinigami's back. It was a mostly blank canvas again that appealed to the dark painter in him that needed to mark, needed to draw and express passion with each stroke of the long nails.

Kouga pushed his hips forward, a little frustrated that he was so excited and yet had no outlet, no release yet.

"Impatient, so impatient. You make it difficult to fully portray the other side when you seem so ready to find that release."

"How can you be so damned calm? ...can you...touch me while you take me?"

Muramasa was more than happy to oblige, slowly increasing the speed. He wasn't sure who was really capturing who the way Kouga was gripping him so tightly. His eyes rolled backward for a moment before his vision refocused and he used his left hand to move back to that stiff hardness, throbbing with desire. He made sure his strokes were firm, enjoying the way Kouga would try to hold back on a moan as he manipulated his arousal without even getting his long nails in the way.

Kouga cried out, closing his eyes. "Harder...please."

It was that hesitant please tacked on the end that really got Muramasa going._ If he wants me to go all the way...then who am I to ignore such a polite request?_

He moved faster, playing with angles here and there, hunting for that elusive spot that would really add a beautiful layer of frosting to a cake that was almost too decadent for words.

"Ah! Mura...masa....that's ...there..."

Muramasa could piece together the broken statement well enough to know the last stroke and angle he chose was definitely the right one. He let his thrusts and nails do most of the dialogue, giving himself fully over to the moment.

The mirror told the rest of the story better than they could at the moment anyway.

Those apple green eyes wide open, accompanied by lips spread wide enough to reveal a soft pink tongue that hung out of a corner of the mouth...

Sky blue eyes half-closed in ecstasy, the light blue slits even more noticeable when paired with the smoky black circles around the eyes...

Pale hips that rolled and thrusted with a force that seemed unlikely for such a small frame...

Followed by an equally pale hand that stroked, teased, enticed, delayed, and explored at every turn, varying the pressure delivered.

"Muramasa...ah..."

"Say my name like that again..."

"Muramasa...Muramasa..."

Kouga felt like he was falling into his own personal Hueco Mundo, with nothing but endless darkness and eternal night waiting for him on the other end.

"Oh, Kouga..."

_Even when he's like this, he still says my name like it's the most cherished thing he carries..._

They fell together, with Muramasa leading just slightly. Kouga cried out as he felt a moist heat filling him up. Is this what it feels like each and every time I do that to him?

He couldn't take anymore from those elegant pale fingers touching him like that. It feels like each stroke is really brushing against my soul — how does he do that?

It wasn't his release that really got his attention; it was the satisfied look in Muramasa's eyes afterwards. He waved his right hand up to the mirror, dissolving the cuff that had restrained Kouga's wrists so neatly before. Once Kouga was standing, he cleaned him up much in the same manner, tapping his nails together.

The mirror and its image of the dominant, controlling spirit that had so elegantly controlled him just moments before faded, leaving behind the Muramasa he was used to seeing. He was re-dressed in his usal white coat, with his normal scarf held in place.

Kouga turned around to look at the way things were supposed to be and was very shocked to find Muramasa in his regular look so soon. "How did you do that?"

"I told you already. You allowed me to control pieces of this inner world, Kouga. Hence, it forms the foundation for allowing me to...well, follow my instincts. It seems you enjoyed that."

Kouga blushed, and moved to give Muramasa a light kiss on the lips that slowly deepened into something more passionate. He broke off the kiss gently, running his hands through those messy brown locks that had become even more scattered after their strange session together.

"I enjoyed...everything. Wow. But you are so gentle...from start to finish. Even now..." Kouga trailed off, pointing to his newly cleaned and reordered uniform and the kenseikan back in his hair. "You take time to make everything go back to normal."

Muramasa paused a moment before replying. "Control is not about destruction. It's not about might makes right, or any other illusion we use to imply that we control others around us. It's a matter of being able to move from start to finish effortlessly. I displayed to you today the opening game, the mid game, and of course, the delicious end game. However, such displays are meaningless without a bit of after game maintenance to make sure all players move on to play another game for another day. Such is simply the way of things."

Kouga took a strange comfort in the words. He was very tired. A year had passed since they came to Hueco Mundo. Their second year would hopefully be better than the first. He could hope for that much and more, as long as he had this exotic, caring, thoughtful spirit by his side.

He eased back into the large bed, watching Muramasa curl up close as they had learned to do over the last year. He gently wrapped his arms around the slender spirit, closing his eyes happily.

"I was worried you...you would reject me after this."

"You don't know? I will never reject you, Muramasa. _Never_."

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**AN: This had to be one of the hardest chapters of Decadence to write. I wanted a role reversal for a while, ever since I got challenged to write a role-reversal for AiGin (The Reverse Side of the Reverse Side, oneshot located in my author account here of course!). It got me thinking: what about a oneshot chapter in 'Decadence' that played on the same lines? **

**This is probably also one of the rare times I've written such a clearly BDSM-flavored chapter, aside from the MuramasaxSaira lemon a few chapters ago. It's very dialogue-driven, which is something I have mixed feelings about. However, reading a recent review from "J" (you're anonymous sweetie, otherwise I'd reply to you properly ...) made me realize that I feel justified in most of the dialogue. **

**I wanted to continue to play on that 'dark stranger' / 'dark something' theme I introduced in the last few chapters. To me, that is lust, control, and hunger personified. I extended it to actually changing Muramasa, which I hope reads well — my fic is kinda experimental still. **

**I want to interject in that I really mapped this scene out with my beta, JT - he doesn't normally do lemons, but we talk a lot about BDSM and control in general and he knows how important it is for me to be a good BDSM citizen, so to speak. **

**Muramasa's comments on control at the end are the ones I share and point out to *my* real-time BDSM circle all the time. I don't think control has to be painful. I don't think that the person in control has to be a flying jerk to accomplish great things. **

**I had to figure out how to overcome some of the limiters in this pairing on the lemon side in order to carry out the role reversal properly. I've already set the 'manifestation' theme which helped...but those long nails of Mura's are hard to work with, I tell you. I beta-chatted and JT suggested toys. I know ancient Japan probably didn't have toys, but give me a break, okay? ;) **

**I'm also trying to satisfy my inner muse's dirty talking fetish without resorting to 'slang' — gets difficult. So if things sound a touch odd, I apologize in advance. **

**In before someone points out the single cuff bondage thing is a Moonbathing nod — cos it is. :) GinxGrimmjow in Chapter 3 to be exact. **

**I try to put a lot of effort into making sure the audience is clear that this is not a casual sex thing — I wanted to write 'Decadence' as the evolution and dynamics of their 'love' relationship. I love sexual exploration stories, which is why I've tried to introduce a new thing or build upon something from chapter to chapter. **

**I took the advice on expanding the lemon but I still have to work on my 'middle game' a bit more — I walked around the house 'acting' things out (I admit it freely — I don't have roommates, I think they'd die laughing) but I still feel that's my serious area of weakness. **

***My* favorite part is Dark!Muramasa with the smoky black rings around the eyes, the black coat, the dark black brooch pinned to the sash-belt around his middle...black boots...I *love* that and the overall concept of the mirror. Yes, I wanted to use a mirror. This is their first time playing with the inner world Sanctuary so I wanted to really make this is a special memory. **

**I haven't decided if I'll ever do the role reversal thing in the future - it's been fun. I love doing it but it DOES take a lot more setup — exposition makes things interesting but I know there's moments I wish I had the words to flesh out further. At the same time...this chapter (minus my pack-a-lunch author's notes) is 5,000 words. **

**I tried to get all of the italics and boldings right for this — trust me, they make a difference in how things should be read or perceived. **

**Couple of noticeable music choices I remember... Radiohead's "Paranoid Android", Blur's "Song 2", Aphex Twin's "Power Pill Pacman" and strangely enough, Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind" ...explain that last one to me, lol. **

**I can't thank y'all enough for supporting Decadence! I was worried that Deca wouldn't get as much love as Sanct since Decadence has soooo much lemon power in it. I was wrong and I'm glad for it. :) **

**My heart always soars when I hit publish...because my views skyrocket when there's a new chap up for this series. You guys rock my face off, as usual :) Your alerts, faves, comments, reviews, PMs and other-site messages are all encouraging! Thank you!**

***leaves Muramasa and Kouga shaped cookies down here at the bottom* **

**Oh, PS - still no Saira. I haven't forgotten about her in Decadence — but there's no real way for those two to get together, remember? Plus, I like having the story focus on Mura and Kou's relationship together without outside interferences. **


	6. The Exploration of Seclusion: Part Three

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. **

**Warnings: Yaoi, implied Dom/sub & BDSM undertones, rough play (what? You thought those nails were for show?) - pure lemony, sensual goodness. **

**AN: This is side A of the double chapter I have planned for Decadence. It's bugging me that Deca lags one chap behind Sanct, so I'm correcting that. This is set AFTER the 'role reversal' from Chap 5, but BEFORE the events in Chap 7 of Sanctuary. I decided to do this chap from Muramasa's POV. I had to use names a little more than I wanted – they're both "he" so I did this in order to make the fic a little more readable. I like experimenting and I guess it's pretty obvious I'm having a good time **** Let the good times roll – storytime in the place to be!**

**Chapter Six: The Exploration of Seclusion: Part Three**

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After nearly three years in this land of eternal night, there are few things that surprise Muramasa anymore. It is a place that requires one to give up any hope of dividing "day" from "night" - it is all night, but after a while he has gotten used to it. He's even gotten used to being out in the open almost all the time. His world of pillars and endless ocean is still his favorite, his private homeland where some things are easier than others. However, there are some benefits to being in the real world.

Like being woken from the vivid dreams he was enjoying by a certain apple green-eyed shinigami who looks at him in a way that never fails to spark a dry, twisted heat to move through his body. When he is in the real world, every touch feels amplified; every look is presented to maximum effect. He cares deeply for this one, this one he is thrilled to call his shinigami. The times he is freely allowed to walk next to him are a treat, but the ultimate treat has to be when his shinigami threads one of those big, strong hands through his small, thin ones. The move is never done in a hesitant way, even though his long fingernails sometimes nip the man when he isn't careful.

However, there is something to be said for their more intimate moments. Like the one he's currently wrapped in, with a very lustful-looking shinigami perched on top of his slender frame. This shinigami -- his shinigami, how can he forget the distinction — enjoys lying on top of him. After the events of the night before, Muramasa is convinced it's a quiet symbol of dominion.

Not that he's complaining.

"Mura."

He isn't one for nicknames — being a zanpaktou spirit, there are few possessions he really can say he owns other than his name. It is bad enough that the rose princess believes his name is better when shortened. However, it is being said from the lips of his shinigami. If this is what his shinigami wants, then he will gladly accept the shortening of his name, even though he doesn't really care for it.

"Kouga?"

A nod. One nip to his neck, then two. He can always tell when his shinigami is really wound up; he doesn't bother to take off the ascot. He pushes it out of his way with a quiet ferocity that tells Muramasa that it will be an intense night.

He notices that they are in the outer world for a reason — it is Kouga's favorite place to take him. His shinigami will never admit it out loud, but he is happiest out here in this isolated world. In fact, Muramasa realizes that his shinigami has never been this happy before since the two of them came together.

He enjoys the carefully balanced weight of his shinigami on top of him. While he did enjoy their role reversal earlier, he prefers to be under his master very much. It symbolizes their relationship in a way that pleases them both.

_Pleasure._ There is something to be said for such a thing. This started out as something to make his shinigami happy, to make sure that the water in his inner world would not rise so high it would sweep him away. Being the zanpaktou of Kuchiki Kouga, there are very few things in life that Muramasa truly fears. Drowning in the turbulent ocean of the inner world is one of the rare fears he holds. Losing his shinigami is the other. After that, the other fears — if they even exist — aren't worth naming.

Lips. Those lips are devouring every available space they find. They come with companion teeth that bite down, that nibble and chew on tender flesh that is helpless to resist those pearly white warriors. Surrender is imminent, if it hasn't already begun.

He can't remember when those hands have joined the fray, but he is grateful for them all the same. They explore his slender pale frame with a familiarity that has been hard-won, over two years of quiet coaxing and overcoming a shyness and nervousness that he doubts his shinigami would own up to.

His clothes are still on, not because of any concern for modesty — his shinigami simply deems that it should be that way. He knows that he will be stripped soon, but slowly, teasingly. He knows that he will be stripped slowly because his outfit intrigues his shinigami in its construction. His shinigami is also slightly amused that Muramasa cannot take off his own clothes due to his fingernails. He finds that ironic, since the fingernails do not block the proper grip of a sword.

So his shinigami starts slow, at the top, starting with the ascot. Those steady, strong fingers unlatch the brooch and pull the entire setup off of him. There are fast licks, kisses, nibbles and even a few sharp bites to the pale flesh underneath once it's been revealed. These are moments Muramasa treasures because these are the moments that he feels most cherished and prized. Stripped slowly, with nothing but anticipation between them as the scene progresses...

Dialogue is something he has learned his shinigami really likes. He didn't expect his normally quiet shinigami to be such a fan of language, especially risqué language in bed. Kouga is never crude per se, yet the words are certainly nothing that his kenseikan-wearing shinigami could speak anywhere else but behind closed doors. Preferably the closed doors of their sanctuary, where it is more like space than anything else.

_Space._ How fitting. In that space, nobody can hear Muramasa scream. It is a treat, to yell, to shout, to scream, to roar. All of these strange verbs have been unlocked to him since he has started this adventure with Kouga.

Yet it is the verb that started their descent into decadence that still catches Kouga's attention the most: whisper. It has taken on a far different meaning since the first time his shinigami has called it out on the battlefield, against opponents who were left gasping in shock when their precious swords turned against them. Here, the word is symbolic of their shared passion and interest in pleasing each other.

"Ah, kami, you're so damned beautiful, Mura..."

_Beautiful._ It is not a word that he associates with himself at all. He has seen his reflection too many times to believe that he is beautiful. Such a word better fits his shinigami, with his bright apple green eyes and his pouting lips. It's hard for him to respond to something that he doesn't fully believe in his heart — but when his shinigami says it the words suddenly carry a sharp ring of truth. In other words, he can accept it because it is Kouga who is saying it.

He wants to touch his shinigami, wants to run his hands through purple-black hair until his fingers find that little shock of red hair. He has often believed that the red ponytail is a quiet sign of defiance, the only type that his shinigami is allowed to make against the great Kuchiki clan.

He is so lost in the great sensation simply labeled as Kouga that he has forgotten the tiny details, like the opening of his robe. He vaguely remembers those thick fingers skillfully removing the sash, pulling it away and setting it aside. Some nights that sash has become cuffs on the fly, pinning his hands up and over his head. However, his shinigami is not feeling that type of entertainment ...yet.

No, his shinigami simply sets it aside for now — Muramasa is not sure if he's relieved or disappointed. He's slowly becoming more exposed, which is exciting only because Kouga is the one doing the exposing. In any other case, he does not like being exposed. The elements are not kind to his small frame and he gets cold too quickly.

The apple green robe he keeps underneath the white one is also moved aside. His shinigami is moving off of him, only to lift him up after a few moments to remove both pieces of clothing. The clothes are laid underneath them, since they are out in the open. They have gotten used to the chill inside the cave, especially since they both know things are about to warm up soon enough...

His shinigami usually takes everything off, except for a few things. Muramasa is convinced his shinigami doesn't consciously realize that he never fully takes everything off. For starters, he always leaves the kenseikan in his hair. He makes the most beautiful purring noise when Muramasa runs his fingertips lightly over it when they're in the middle of their more passionate moments. His shinigami also leaves on the long red scarf and necklace, both gifts received when he officially joined the Kuchiki house. It amuses Muramasa only because that family has caused his shinigami so much trouble over the years, yet he still wears their markings by default. One day, he will help Kouga let them go fully, but now isn't the time for such thoughts.

If he died right now, left only with the parting vision of Kouga in his most natural state, he would sincerely perish a very happy spirit indeed. Every muscle on that lightly tanned body is toned, though not to a point where it looks out of place. He secretly wishes he could be as muscular as his shinigami, but he is more than happy to simply admire him. He also can't help but admire the angles of that beautiful body, the angles and planes of his chest, the curve that leads down to a lean belly, and that final slope before the eye is led to his shinigami's most intimate zone. He knows that right below that cluster of tight, dark curls rests a length that always seems to look most erect when Kouga realizes that he is looking.

"Like what you see?"

The question has to be rhetorical. There is never a time that Muramasa will ever tell this man that the sight of his beautiful, lithe body isn't something that fills his sky blue eyes with wonder and joy. He wants to touch him so badly it makes him ache inside, but he knows the structure of this scene. He is not to touch Kouga until his shinigami whispers the command in his ear.

_Whisper. _

That shinigami of his does a lot of that — whisper, that is. He enjoys tormenting the spirit he owns outright and completely, enjoys pressing that warm hardness against his low belly in a way that just can't be ignored. He enjoys hearing that soft gasp Muramasa makes when logic finally catches up to passion and he realizes what else is on the horizon.

"Touch me."

Even though the core of his abilities revolves around control and influence, he can't help but become aroused by the way Kouga uses the imperative during their intimate moments. He loves the way his shinigami's voice lowers until he practically has to strain to hear it. It's a husky, breathy thing, really; something that flows around him and even inside of him, penetrating him with the same intensity as those teeth do when they tear so relentlessly into his shoulder.

There is no reason to ignore the imperative, so those nails that Kouga cherishes so greatly follow the order, sliding over those tanned arms, down that beautifully sculpted chest, and across his back. After two years, Muramasa is well aware that this is the pattern his shinigami likes best, and the moan that falls from those pouting lips is clear proof that he is doing something right.

Those pouting lips crash down on his cool, pale counterparts with an intensity that excites him, as it's a sign that Kouga really is into this. That isn't what really takes his breath away. It's that hungry, glazed look that creeps so easily into those apple green eyes when he's like this that really gets Muramasa going.

Maybe it's even noticeable, since Kouga enjoys teasing him about it.

"Excited for me, spirit? I don't hear you though...maybe I'm doing something wrong."

The statement is punctuated neatly by those lips latching onto his neck, right over a space that Kouga is well aware gets him quite aroused.

One moan, then two, falling effortlessly from pale lips that can't hold it in anymore.

This is the pattern that Muramasa is used to, but simply being accustomed to the pattern doesn't make the pattern any less exciting.

He wants more, wants to be devoured by this strong man with bright green eyes. He wants to be absorbed and consumed until there isn't anything left of his individuality. He wants to belong to this shinigami — his shinigami — for the rest of his existence. He can't imagine being anywhere else than right here with this beautiful man, being pleasured and touched and cherished. Always cherished. In moments like this, he is even seduced.

It is a slow seduction with a definite ending, but it is the journey that Muramasa enjoys most. His entire body becomes a delicious indulgence for his shinigami, and he cannot think of any better moment in his existence than a moment like this. He feels those hands over his body, fingertips exploring and curling back and forth slowly.

They don't have as much time tonight — as much as he loves looking at the lust swirling in those apple green eyes, he also knows there is much fatigue there. He will take every moment he can get with Kouga, but he also cares for his shinigami's good health as well.

Even though he would never complain if Kouga simply took him in their current state, he always finds it touching that his shinigami thinks about his comfort all the time.

That strong hand is curled around his arousal in a firm way, with the fingers curled tightly around him. He can't help but enjoy that feeling, even though it's not a position that lends itself to modesty.

"Kouga..."

He loves saying his shinigami's name in these moments, partially for the way it sounds on his lips when he's slowly losing the ability to think clearly, and partially for the excitement it generates in his shinigami on the whole.

"Mura...mm...you say my name like you really want me to take you..."

"I do. Please."

Normally a sarcastic or seductive reply is easily in his reach, but he can't think of one. He can't think of much except Kouga's husky voice mingling and mixing with his own. He can't think of much except for Kouga's hand around him, slowly stroking a fire through him that needs release.

_Soon. Soon. Soon._

The actual preparation comes and goes, leaving him ready to be taken, and his shinigami more than happy to do the taking. To say the opening moments were painful isn't quite the word — they are simply frustrating. Frustrating because Muramasa knows they lead to an amazing sequence of pleasure that will leave them both gasping, aching, and satisfied. Frustrating because he knows that Kouga is fighting his instincts to simply dive into him. And just plain frustrating because part of him wants to hurry things along but he knows better than that. So he deals with the opening moves with the patience he's become known for in other arenas and lets Kouga guide the show.

He breathes in deep as Kouga finally moves all the way inside. That filled feeling that always accompanies such a move is one that he is rather fond of. It makes him feel incredibly connected to his shinigami, like they can never be separated ever again.

He moves his nails across Kouga's back in one of Kouga's favorite patterns, a slow sweep that makes sure that every accessible inch is addressed. It's a strange march down Kouga's back, down smooth skin that will soon be covered in plenty of scratches. Two years in the land of eternal night has given Muramasa plenty of time to practice some basic healing kido. If it were his choice, he would let the scratches stand, but it is not his choice. They may have eight years of seclusion left to them, but there are those in Soul Society that would ask far too many questions about why and where those marks came from. It is easier on them both to actually heal the damage from their intimate moments. After all, Muramasa will always have the memories seared into his mind where no amount of kido could wash them away.

"Still so tight...I love being inside you..."

The words fit, and Muramasa finds that each new moment they're allowed to share brings Kouga into a deeper, more comfortable zone where his dialogue flows freely around them. It's heaven here, even though it's constantly night and it's constantly cold. He gets to hear these delicious, risque things slip so easily from Kouga's lips. The move is made even more arousing by the remaining signs of nobility left on Kouga's body. He cannot help but see the scarf and the kenseikan as Kouga says these delicious, dirty things.

"Mm, Kouga..."

"Yes?"

"Harder. More..."

His shinigami is always happy to oblige, but he has a tendency to accelerate the flames by hunting for that strange spot on the inside. There's always a sneaky look on Kouga's face when he's in hunting mode. Fortunately, he usually doesn't have to take long — it has been two years, after all.

"Ah! Kou...Kouga..."

"That's right...that's right...lose yourself in it...and me..."

There's no point in hiding any noise now — all Kouga will do is thrust harder, dive deeper, suck on the pale flesh of his neck harder. So he moans loudly for his shinigami, he moans for each stroke, each move of that skilled hand over a hardness that is now throbbing and aching.

His nails leave small pinpricks all over that smooth back, over shoulders and arms, digging in slightly as Kouga picks up the pace, thrusting wildly. It is a night that he needs to take quickly, to dive in deeply and consume everything around him.

He thinks Kouga is at his best when he loses control like this, even though it makes it hard for him to have any control. He can't seem to remember anything of important outside of the way Kouga brings so much heat rushing over him, forcing him to stay in the moment. He can't help but feel the way Kouga slides in so smoothly, can't help but feel the way those teeth claim him.

The way they move together is something that doesn't seem like it can be taught; it is something that can only be learned in the heat of the moment. Kouga moves with a strange primal fever, his hips thrusting faster and faster.

"Say my name...like you always do..."

"Mm...Kouga..."

"Again..."

"Kouga..." He's starting to lose any hope of holding on for much longer, not with the way his shinigami is now biting his ear and whispering these words, these words that really drive him insane.

"My whisperer seems like he's having trouble focusing...I wonder what's got you so distracted..." Those strong fingers are squeezing and curling tighter over an erection that is twitching quicker as moments fly by.

"Kouga...I..."

"Shh. You know how much I like seeing you let go."

It's a simple statement but it isn't so much the words that expand his excitement to new heights; it's their delivery. He feels like the release is being squeezed out of him, drained out of him. His nails scratch and prickle, scrape and scrape and scrape until Kouga is yelling at the top of his lungs, eyes closing tightly.

"Mura...masa....ah! Yesssss..."

That final word comes out in a long hiss as the shinigami — his lustful, amazing shinigami — releases that familiar moist heat deep inside of him. It's not just a feeling of being filled, but a feeling of being saturated.

Old habits die hard and they already have an established pattern of laying together for a moment before breaking free of each other. He knows that he will soon fade and reappear, all signs of their earlier fire and passion only memories of what used to be.

For the moment, he feels Kouga laying on him, thoroughly satisfied.

"Thank you."

"I am glad you're happy."

"Of course I am, Muramasa...you're incredible when you're with me like this."

He can't find the words. He can control, seduce, influence and move spirits like chess pieces. But he can't find the words to tell this man, this beautiful shinigami, how deeply honored and moved he is every time their bodies meet.

He settles instead just to graze Kouga's face lightly with his fingertips, knowing that as sky blue eyes float up to meet apple green ones, there is always an understanding that goes far beyond words.

* * *

**AN: "I'll just write a quick lemon before bed to relax my mind!" ...yeah, right. Quick lemon became nearly 3500 words of solid sweet KougaxMuramasa goodness. I decided to experiment with doing Muramasa's POV. This is more/less a filler chapter to build on their 'role reversal'. I wanted to flip the table back to where it rightly belongs — and Kouga is a delicious seme here. Definitely a quickwrite, but I tried to go back and add as much of the classic italics structure you've gotten used to. **

**I don't have too terribly much to say on this. I still wanted to capture their playfulness behind closed doors, their unique personality traits and just some good old yaoi fun mixed in. **

**Part of the story was written in time to Chris Botti's "What'll I Do?" which seems strange — but for some reason it captures the sappy romantic side I wanted to weave in around the hot lemony goodness. **

**I'm sorry it's not as long as you're used to reading in Decadence. Even though it's not my favorite chapter out of the entire series so far, it was one of the ones that was the most fun to write. I enjoyed Kouga's reactions, Muramasa's devotion, and the sense of familiarity that's present in their actions. The years together in Hueco Mundo seem to have taught them a lot about what the other likes. I wanted to really play on that. **

**I'm still playing with their dialogue some more — the more I re-read Decadence, the dialogue isn't quite where I want it, but that's probably my perfectionist writer voice harassing me again.**

**This is *not* connected to Chapter 7 of 'Sanctuary' - this is after the role reversal in Chapter 5, and before the events of Chapter 7. Just to keep up with the timeline. **

**This pairing has corrupted my sanity. So bad. I have dreams about bleach all the time — like Kouga magically getting a bankai. Muramasa is already awesome, kthx. **

**Anyway, rabid KxM fangirl needs to get some rabid fangirl sleep on ...**


	7. The Exploration of Seclusion: Part Four

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine.**

**AN: Keeping it short. We're still at the tail end of Year Two of the Ten Years of Exploration/Seclusion arc (Seclusion is 'Sanctuary', Exploration is 'Decadence'). This is set a week after the events in Sanctuary's Chapter 8. I know we're still dragging along but I think the first couple of years will be where most of the major things happen. We'll see :D **

**This is a very fluffy chap. Warnings are primarily just yaoi and lemon. No real implied BDSM or D/s stuff – I'll sidestep that in order to do a fluffy piece. They've just admitted their true feelings for each other, so I figure the rest can come later. A little touch of crack here and there – it won't take away from the chap, I promise. **

**Storytime in the place to be – and a sleepy fangirl in a pear tree…**

**

* * *

  
**

Even though the window of their bedroom suite doesn't lead anywhere, Kouga can't help but look through it anyway. The view is nothing but pillars and ocean, but it's a calm view that makes him feel good. He feels like he could sit here forever and never get bored.

Then again, having his partner cradled in his arms also added to the peace in more ways than one. It was only a few days ago that Muramasa had admitted how much he loved the shinigami, and it left Kouga feeling more afraid than ever.

_Why does he feel so strongly about me? Am I really that special? _

Muramasa was sleeping, something that he started doing more since he knew how much it comforted Kouga. Kouga was aware that the spirit really didn't need to sleep often, but it was a nice touch that reminded him of home.

_Home._ He wasn't sure if he even still had a home to come back to. He wasn't completely foolish: they wouldn't have exiled him for 10 years just to welcome him back with open arms. He would be watched very carefully, monitored at every turn.

He was leaving freedom for the same cage that rubbed at his nerves in the first place.

"Kouga."

That signature deep voice whispered his name softly, as Muramasa stirred in his arms. "You are practically vibrating with unhappiness."

"That means I woke you up."

Kouga shivered as Muramasa shifted to look at him, a cool hand sliding over his cheek. The long fingernails grazed over his skin lightly, a move that seems strangely tender to him.

"If I am sleeping when you are so unhappy, it is a sign that I am not doing my job."

A hesitant feeling coiled around Kouga. _His job. _

_Were you doing your job a few days ago when you told me you loved me?_

"Job..."

"Yes. My job as your lover, remember? My, you must have been deep in sorrow to forget so soon, Kouga."

_My job as your __**lover**__. _

It makes him feel good, the way those sky blue eyes are staring into his apple green ones with all that understanding and concern. He still doesn't feel he fully deserves it, but he's more than happy to take it and run with it.

"I didn't forget...I guess ...I didn't think anything would change just because I admitted that...sorry it came out so strangely."

Those hands are working their way through his hair, slowly freeing that shock of red hair from the kenseikan and setting the headpiece respectfully on the nightstand.

"It did not come out strangely at all. You are so beautiful when you speak from the heart, Kouga."

The way the words press so gently against the core of his soul leaves Kouga feeling confused. _What am I doing? I don't know my way... _

He pauses to really look into Muramasa's eyes, into sky blue eyes that tell him quietly that it's okay if he is not quite sure how to continue.

Kouga takes in the scene before them, of the dark blue yukata that is covering Muramasa's body still. It's a sharp contrast from his shinigami uniform that he can't seem to give up. It's not out of a lack of imagination; the uniform has become part of _him_, even in the inner world.

"You're still wearing too many clothes."

Kouga's tone is as playful as he can get; something that Muramasa picks up on.

He sounds good when he lets go of how things are supposed to be and just accepts the way things are.

Muramasa smiles for his shinigami, nodding. "Oh? I have too many clothes? Says the shinigami that seems to be in uniform all the time."

"What? I like being prepared."

"Prepared, is that right? What are you prepared for?"

"Anything. Everything. You."

The last two lines between the two of them are delivered with a touch of heat that neither party has forgotten about. Kouga pulls those cool, pale lips of the spirit to his, closing his eyes. The kiss is slow, giving Kouga time to explore Muramasa's lips and let their tongues slide against each other cautiously.

After a few moments, he pulls away and smiles. "Was that something you were prepared for, Muramasa?"

The whisperer returns the smile, adding a light tap of his nails against Kouga's skin. "Oh...I can't say I was...you're usually more...forward than this."

"We are lovers, yes?"

"Of course."

Kouga blushes slightly, moving so that their faces are still close to each other. "Then...teach me ...how to make love to you."

Muramasa blinks, and thinks carefully on his answer before responding. _How am I supposed to teach him something that I am not sure how to do? _He clears the thought from his head with a reminder that he is here to make Kouga happy to the best of his ability. So while he may not know the best answer, he will certainly try.

"As you like."

He brings Kouga's hands slowly to the white obi holding his yukata closed, making sure to look him in the eyes through each movement. "You said I was wearing too many clothes. So take them off."

Kouga smirks. "Such a demanding spirit."

"I am merely an extension of you, you know. So who is truly the demanding one?"

Kouga carefully removes the sash, taking his time. He wants to rush, but he knows that this will only earn him another lecture from the blue eyed spirit. So he takes his time, opening the kimono and revealing the pale skin underneath.

Muramasa's next words surprise him. "Please...take all of it, Kouga."

Kouga is aware of the deep trust that is woven tightly into the words. _He never takes his clothes all the way off. He hates being exposed. He really does want to be this close to me._

His thoughts spill out in a rush, and he has to fight to keep them at bay while he focuses on the slender figure in his arms. He fulfills the request, shifting his hands and the figure trapped between them around until he takes off every last stitch of clothing. His hands curl upward to the ascot, watching Muramasa's eyes carefully as he removes it.

Muramasa closes his eyes slightly, narrowing them down as he makes himself comfortable. He does not like being exposed like this, but the way Kouga is looking at him is starting to make him see some strong benefits in being this way.

_Does he realize the way it makes me feel when he touches me so gently like this? I feel so cherished. _

_Loved. _

These are thoughts the spirit isn't sure how to handle - he cannot say that this is the first time he's felt love for his shinigami, but it is the first time the bond that he's felt has deepened into something truly romantic. Before, it was the love any zanpaktou would hold for their shinigami — something polite, filled with invisible boundaries.

Now that love was replaced — no, augmented — by something completely different, deeper, and dangerous. It felt dangerous to him because it truly felt like an emotion that would consume him. There would be nothing that he would not do for Kouga, because he wanted to give his lover everything. This acceptance of love would create a love that would last for centuries. Muramasa just knew that, accepted it. So even though the thin spirit did not like being exposed with the light chill over his pale body, he would deal with it merely because of the way Kouga looked at him.

"You are so beautiful like that...I'm going to enjoy making love to you, I just know it..."

"Tease."

"I learned from the best."

Muramasa chuckles, and runs a hand over the fabric of Kouga's uniform. "I only wish I could return your moves..."

"You can."

Muramasa folds his nails over each other a few times, then stretches his hand to showcase the length of his fingernails. "I don't want to tear anything."

"I don't care."

Muramasa bites his lip in concentration, being careful as he slowly pulls the top of the uniform away. It occurs to him that if he is careful to keep the sharper end of his nails from digging into the fabric, he can actually take off Kouga's clothes without too much risk of damaging them. So he takes a small pleasure in exposing Kouga, his eyes mesmerized by what feels like miles and miles of smooth tanned flesh. While he doesn't like hurting Kouga, he feels a slight thrill at the possibly of being able to run his nails all over that smooth skin.

Muramasa keeps working at it until he has managed to loosen and remove the hakama, with a little help from Kouga. He takes a moment to appreciate the way the long red scarf hangs against that tanned expanse of skin before removing it, stopping only when his fingers come to the necklace.

"Do you want me to take it off for you?"

It's something unsaid between them. This is the most exposed that Kouga has ever been, considering that he never takes off everything he wears. The necklace is the only thing that separates them now.

For Kouga, the necklace is one of the strongest signs of his family. Even though they have been off in the land of eternal night for nearly three years now, he has not been ready or even comfortable with taking off the signs that he has a home, a family, a respected place.

Yet those are only things on the surface, and it doesn't take a strong hand to tear back those layers and realize that something is wrong. Horribly wrong. There is no love there, barely any recognition. No matter how much he bleeds and sweats for the good and peace of Soul Society, he can't seem to get any type of praise from Ginrei-dono. He wishes it were different, but he is all too aware that it will never be different.

His hands move to take the necklace off, placing it on the nightstand with the other symbols of his past, allowing him to focus on his present and maybe even his future.

"Oh, Kouga."

_He speaks so little...yet when he says my name like that, I feel adored. _

_No_, he corrected himself, _I feel __loved__. I just wish I had realized sooner..._

Muramasa curls up on the bed, watching Kouga sort out his feelings. _I will give him all the time in the world. Hours mean nothing for me. _

Kouga moves on top of the slender spirit, enjoying that soft gasp that falls from those thin lips before Muramasa can cover it up. "Excited, love?"

"For you? Always."

Kouga dips his head down to bite softly at Muramasa's neck, covering it with kisses and soft licks of his tongue. He creates little swirl lines and dips with his tongue slowly, exploring more than anything else.

"Oh...mmm..."

Those soft sounds that fall from Muramasa's lips make him strangely aroused. He notices how close their bodies are, and the realization that they are both naked in bed hits him at all once. He moves his body so he can slowly grind his growing erection against Muramasa's soft skin.

"Feels good...mmm, you're excited for me too..."

Kouga feels that small hand reaching down to tease and stroke his erection, feeling a hot wave of heat engulf him as those fingers fully close around his manhood. "Mura...masa...ahh..."

"That's right...follow your instincts..."

Kouga continued on, sucking on the soft skin of Muramasa's neck. The spirit cried out, his fingers digging into the sheets. "What...are you ..doing to me?" He chuckled, bringing his head up to look Muramasa in the eyes. "Well...uh...the book I saw...talked about foreplay."

"Foreplay? What on earth?"

"It's from a book I uh...read."

More like quietly borrowed from one of the girls in the 6th Division rest area while she wasn't looking. It was a quick read, some sort of romance novel that talked all about lovemaking and tenderness, two things that Kouga wasn't really good at anyway. He didn't really plan on taking the book, but when the female shinigami had caught him looking at the brightly colored cover there was nothing else he could do.

* * *

_"Oh that is so lovely! Are you looking for ideas for Midori-dono, sir?" _

_"Uh...ah...yes. I am only going to be in Soul Society for another day before my mission to Hueco Mundo." _

_He cringed even now, remembered her happy reaction. It sparked a chain reaction, with the other women happily shoving their novels into his hands. "Look on page 35 - that scene is so beautiful!" _

_"Ugh, Ayano-san! Kuchiki-dono is far too manly for that sappy stuff!" _

_"No, it would be so beautiful...looking into each other's eyes..." _

_They had begun to squabble over the finer points of these odd romantic novels, until he cleared his throat. "Uh...thank you, ladies. Do me a favor and uh...not mention this, okay?" _

_"Of course not, Kuchiki-dono!" they chorused in unison, leaving Kouga to make a very hasty exit. _

_

* * *

  
_

Shunpo really _did_ take care of everything, but he didn't need such a thing here. He was happy to be here looking into Muramasa's eyes, finally having a reason to put the advice in those silly books to good use.

"I think I like this book already..."

Kouga chuckled, continuing to slowly move his hips against the spirit's slender form, trying not to look shocked when Muramasa began to move with him.

"I didn't know...you'd be excited as I am right now..."

"Of course I am. Shh, make love to me, Kouga."

Kouga moved his head lower to rest on Muramasa's chest for a moment, before bringing his lips to a nipple. "I will...as long as you let me feel those nails again. It wouldn't be the same without them, you know." He licks the nipple a few times before pulling it into his mouth, sucking on it gently.

He was rewarded with a loud moan that fell from Muramasa's lips so quickly that he was nearly startled by the reaction. He must be very sensitive here - why did I not realize this before? He experiments with increasing the intensity for a moment, and is pleased to hear more moans falling from those beautiful thin lips. He has them memorized in his mind, the way they curl into a secret smile used only when they were alone.

"Kouga...mm, please...don't stop..."

He lets go of the nipple, only to make sure its twin has the same pleasure applied to it, his tongue swirling over the pale pink nub before clamping down on it fully. He enjoys the constant string of moans that come from Muramasa each and every time he sucks on the rosy bit, every time he runs his tongue over the tip.

Those nails finally respond to his moves, lightly weaving through his hair before pressing down to keep Kouga's head in place. The shinigami took that as a sign of good things to come, and kept going.

_Wow, he's really into this. _

"Kouga..."

He let go of the nipple reluctantly, knowing exactly the emotions Muramasa was trying to express by calling his name like that. Lust. Passion. Hunger.

_Want. _

"Mm, already? I was having a good time."

"Good. But..more, please."

He called in a bottle of lube, watching Muramasa snicker as the bottle appeared to be slightly misshapen. "I'm still not as good as you with this sort of thing."

"Merely because you seem to rush through life, Kouga. It requires...patience."

The last line was delivered with a surprising amount of sweetness. Kouga curled his lips into a wide grin, getting a wicked idea.

He took care of the preparations, unable to keep from chuckling when he heard Muramasa give off a slight squeak when the cold oil touched his skin. "Patience, you said. Patience. I think I can do that..."

He shifted to bring his lover's legs up on his shoulders, ready to move forward. He teased the spirit underneath him by tracing oil-slick fingers around that puckered opening, yet not moving to actually penetrate at all.

"Ahhh...Kouga..."

"Patience, Muramasa. I'm merely following your lesson, yes?"

Muramasa couldn't help but grin at the reply. _He is becoming really good at tying me down with my own words._

The entrance was slow, calculated mainly to continue the patience theme they had been building all night. Everytime he'd move forward, it wasn't long before he paused to watch those beautiful sky blue eyes.

"Kouga..."

"Patience, Muramasa."

This continued for a few minutes before Kouga moved all the way inside Muramasa, leaning forward to kiss him on the lips softly. "There. I can't tease forever."

Muramasa closes his eyes, squirming as he takes a moment to just sit back and feel Kouga inside of him.

"You make me feel..."

"Full?"

Muramasa dragged his nails down Kouga's arms, a soft sigh of contentment falling from his lips. "More..."

"Such a greedy spirit."

"What did I say about learning from the best?"

Kouga closed his eyes. It felt good to just stop and step out of the tense mode he lived under since as far back as he could remember. He felt lighter, and definitely a lot happier.

_Is it because I followed my instincts? Is it because I'm living on faith? _

He kept the tempo fairly smooth, taking his time with each stroke. He locked eyes with Muramasa, enjoying the way the spirit's legs were up on his shoulders.

"This pace is...beautiful. Like you."

Muramasa meant every word, breaths coming in shallow patterns as they settled into this slow rhythm. Instead of feeling impatient, Muramasa enjoyed the sensations that were building up and around them.

_He's really making love to me. Oh, Kouga. _

There was another loud moan as Kouga brushed over that strange yet highly arousing spot, the slow movements making sure that he felt every tiny shift in his body. He licked his lips as he watched Kouga's face. It was obvious his shinigami was deeply involved in the moment, and Muramasa didn't want to spoil that at all.

Kouga suddenly shifted a little faster, increasing the rhythm of their movements.

"Running out of patience?"

"Looking at the way you're lying in bed? Damn right I am."

"I think I can live with that..."

The words were starting to really get to Kouga, and he decided that it was time to change things up. He moved out of Muramasa slowly, until he was fully unlinked from his lover. He moved to lie on the bed, giving the whisperer a wide grin. "I think I'm out of patience...get on top of me."

Muramasa smiles, realizing that the shift is symbolic of their changing relationship. He knows from being so connected to Kouga's desires since they landed in Hueco Mundo that Kouga does not like being on the bottom at all. So he climbs on top of Kouga, moving to slowly push Kouga back inside of his tight entrance. There's a moment of simple pleasure when things have come full circle and Kouga is right back inside Muramasa.

_This is the best view in the world. I'm sure of it._ Muramasa watches the look on Kouga's face as he's being straddled, watching those strong hands come up to him in place.

"I'm all out of patience now."

"Good; I think we have something in common."

Muramasa moves to push upward, then slides back down. It's a move that makes Kouga cry out, arching his back.

_He's beautiful like that, with a grace that I don't think even a cat possesses. _

Kouga looks up to watch Muramasa giving them both pleasure, moans loudly as he feels himself being squeezed so tightly. He notes the feel of being pulled in to an world that feels like a giant oven. Moist heat flows around him, through him, never letting him go for a second.

"Feels like..you...ah...still have some patience..."

"And here I thought you of all people would be immune to my illusions, Kouga."

The classic smug grin is on Muramasa's face as he begins to pick up the pace, rising and falling quicker with each moment. He makes sure that all of his muscles are holding as tight as possible, knowing full well the effect it would have on Kouga.

Kouga wraps his hand around Muramasa's erection, stroking him firmly. "Don't think...I'd ever be immune to anything you do...fuck me."

He laughs as Muramasa's eyes widen at the last half of his comment. "It's from the book. I thought it would fit here...as much as I enjoyed...earlier...think we're both done with that ...for right now..."

The words don't really suit him, the more Kouga thinks about it. He notices that the spirit doesn't seem confused on the words, but merely surprised that _Kouga_ has said them. _I'm going to have to talk to him sometime about his whispercapades someday. _

"Close..."

"Mm, me too..."

"Oh, Kouga..."

"The way you say my name...say it again...tell me what you're thinking right now..."

"Kouga...thinking...about the way you fill me up...the way you make it hard for me to think...about anything except you...need...close..."

"Ah, Muramasa...ohhhhhhhh!"

The spirit tipped his head back and cried out he felt Kouga's release pouring into him, and the familiar molten heat that accompanied it time after time. He shivered as he felt his own release, brought on by Kouga's skilled fingers.

He enjoyed the swirl of sensations and emotions curling around him, then he breathed in deeply and looked down at his shinigami.

_He really does belong to me now; I can't think of any greater happiness. _

What stunned Muramasa was watching one of Kouga's strong, thick fingers swirl around in the pool of his release and then bring the finger to his lips.

"Kouga!"

Apple green eyes sparkled with mischief. "What? It's from the book, sort of."

Muramasa felt his smug grin widen. "Oh? You know the more you mention this book...the more you make me want to read it?"

Kouga blushed. "Well..."

Muramasa climbed off his lover slowly and then settled back on the bed, giving Kouga a quick kiss. "You must, Kouga. After all...we could use a few ideas."

"Mm, Mura, you've become quite the demon."

"I told you. I learned...from the best. Truly."

There was nothing more to say, leaving the two lovers to enjoy the soft breeze from the window, and the promise of spending the many days ahead together.

* * *

**AN: Wow. This was the hardest chapter of Decadence to write. OK, maybe it's tied with the full Mura/Sai lemon + Kouga/Muramasa lemon in one chapter - whoosh that was tough. The role reversal was a creative challenge as well. **

**It took me several hours to really get this right - I wanted a sweeter scene for our new lovers, and I had to build up to the lemon of course. It's not like I could get you your lemon two paragraphs in - it wouldn't be a Marisa Serise story. Then again... *grins* I have a feeling I'll be switching it up against next chappy. **

**I love Pillars. I really do. I think I say that every chapter but I find myself totally wishing this pairing didn't have to be AU to work this sweetly. *sighs* **

**I know I usually make them a little rougher with each other - you don't get Mura's nailsies doing their tricks in this chapter because I wanted to really go more for the sweet lovemaking angle. **

**And add some crackity-fluff sweetness. The 'book' mentions had me laugh. Yes, I really find the idea of Kouga or Muramasa saying 'fuck me' to be ...odd. So I picked at that a little bit. My betafish is always amused at the level of angst I have about my lemonfest fic (this one) As a head's up, I know that Kouga's wife does not have a first name in the filler. So I gave her 'Midori'.  
**

**I didn't add in the Kuchiki Wifey angst angle - I mean, I think that is something that's going to have to be addressed if they proceed as a serious couple. For now, in the Ten Years of Exploration/Seclusion arc, it'll just be focused on *their* relationship. **

**In before OOCflagging: they are purposefully written slightly OOC in relation to the rest of Pillars for a reason. I wanted to capture their shock over really admitting they're both in love with each other. So some of the playfulness and familiarity might be a little over the top. I think they'll even back out, but let's let our boys have a little fun, shall we? **

**I walked around the house trying to imagine both positions mentioned in the fic, as well as used mah Google. Oh, and trust me, laz0rs were definitely charged. However, I am not 100% satisfied that I captured both mini-scenes properly. I am teh fail. **

**I am not giving up Decadence - I still want to do another few chapters for Deca, but I fear that Deca will always lag one or two chaps behind Sanctuary, which annoys me. I noticed in the views that Decadence still gets more love/attention from you all than Sanctuary. I still find that amusing, since I really concentrate so hard on making Sanctuary perfect and plotty and coherent. Decadence? I close my eyes and let my fingers communicate what I'm trying to say. I kid you not. **

**If you're looking for more Kouga / Muramasa stuff, may I self pimp for a moment and mention 'Six Word Sacrifice'? It is more focused on Kouga than a KxM pairing fic, but I figured it might be interesting. Don't worry, Muramasa is getting the same character-fic focus as well. We all know Kou here isn't much without our favorite whisperer. 6WS is in my author's account if you're curious. **

**As I mentioned to VAMPIRELG over in 'Sanctuary', I'm not a fluff writer. I'm a mind game writer with a strange penchant for smut. So this is new territory for me. I really do like the fluff and the 'awwww' moments. Decadence may keep a few while branching out into more relationship development. I do sort of want them to talk openly about that sort of thing - who doesn't like new ideas in bed? :) **

**I do like some of the classic running gags of 'Decadence'. This 'name' thing these two have is adorable to me - from the way Muramasa says Kouga's name to the way Kouga reacts when it's being said. Their banter is also part of the fun for me writing this - the 'patience' / 'running out of patience' joke cracks me up. Yes, I read my own chapters a few times before they go up. You know how it is. Oh, and how can I forget the fact that Kouga stripped down all the way just like Muramasa? *fangirl squeal* That's serious to me because in the other chapters Kouga always leaves his 'nobility signs' on (kenseikan, scarf, necklace). Please say someone else sees this too, so I don't look completely like a rabid fangirl?**

***leaves a plate of Kouga and Muramasa cookies* a massive plate of cookies, since Peals of Laughter ate most of the damn Kouga cookies. I mean, everyone knows that these cookies are Serious Business. **

**Oh. I got a private note about requests - I'm sure it's obvious that each chapter of Decadence plays around a couple of fetishes. The last few chapters have indulged my 'clothes' thing. I'll write about generally any fetish or quirky thing, really. **

**I have a pretty loyal following for Decadence, the story I never thought would take off. I can't thank you enough - I use this story to tease my betafish that my lemons are good, really! He usually snickers at my lemonery. **

**The views, the PMs, the alerts, the faves, the reviews - truly, you all spoil a fangirl to death. I love it. Thank you so much for supporting a story and a series that I really never thought would grow into over 65,000 words combined between two fics. (and mini-stories to come later!) **


	8. The Exploration of Seclusion: Part Five

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. Muramasa would have a matching little kenseikan if it were (you know you thought about it too, don't lie! :D)**

**AN: Short note up here today. We're still circling the end of the second year within the Ten Years of Exploration arc. There's a flashback here, as well as a little more plot and buildup before your lemon. Yes, I know you look forward to the lemon, but gotta get there logically. This takes place in the _inner_ world. We'll go back to the outer world soon, but I love when these boys play in the inner world. Full author's notes at the bottom as usual.**

**Note: Italics are still thoughts – both Kouga and Muramasa's thoughts and flashbacks are in italics. If it's confusing, let me know and I'll try to use bold for one and italics for another. Or something.**

**Warnings: Yaoi, implied D/s & BDSM themes, oral, mentions of sex toys (not many), fluff & definite lemon freshness.**

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Muramasa was not telling lies when he mentioned to Kouga that he didn't need to sleep very often. However, he did need to rest, which meant letting his mind and soul simply stop thinking and reacting so much. This was the foundation from where his signature calm and collected nature stemmed from.

He had watched Kouga take a shower numerous times when they both lived in Soul Society, but his experience with the shower was not as pleasant. For one, he did not like being exposed. At all. It was something that he was going to deal with in the years to come, but for the moment he didn't care to be without his clothes for very long. Especially when Kouga was not around to make the most out of the situation.

_Kouga. _

He had never truly felt the need to bond to anyone or anything since he was created. While he couldn't say that he hadn't had his share of escapades over the years, they hadn't really meant anything to him. It was a distraction from the long hours of waiting until he was called back to Kouga's side. Considering that the mere raise of the shinigami's reiatsu was enough to convince most people not to attack him, those moments quickly became far and far between.

He didn't believe in a lot of rules, so he only held his companions to one: they would never be first. It meant that when he was called by Kouga, he would drop everything, everyone. It meant that he would go to Kouga no matter what he was involved in while being summoned. Most of the other spirits pouted, but they always called after him time and time again.

He busied his hands with drawing Kouga's bath while he thought about the past. It would be a nice surprise for his shinigami, who was still off in the other room sleeping.

_"Teach me...how to make love to you." _

It was the kindest thing anyone had ever said to him, but he wasn't surprised such a tender gift was given to him by Kouga. It was destiny, in his opinion, for them to meet as shinigami and zanpaktou. He belonged to Kouga long before there were any declarations of feelings between them.

_"Take care of your first love, Mura-chan." _

He was halfway finished with filling the large garden tub with warm water before his hand shook with irritation. _That woman lives to irritate me. _

There could never be a comparison between Kuchiki Kouga and Rosen Saira. It simply was not going to happen. They held different roles in his life completely.

Kuchiki Kouga was a universe all on his own, filled with sparkling stars, bold planets, and steady moons. The sparkling stars started from apple green eyes that were in a state of constant exploration and ended with communication that went beyond mere words. The bold planets were made to provide stable touchstones he could relate to, like the way Kouga always left those two shocking red tufts of hair outside of his kenseikan, or the way his shinigami said his release command in that slow, confident tone.

_Whisper, Muramasa. _

It was a sharp boldness that was delivered in the tones Muramasa could understand best - was that why he felt so strongly for his green eyed shinigami?

The cascade of steady moons also made their appearance in the universe in the form of commentary. He could always count on Kouga to control the flow of their conversation, which suited him fine since he was not very big on words. What were words to a spirit that didn't need them to control everything around him?

This was the universe he clung to, the universe he cherished, the universe that filled him with life and wonder just thinking about it all.

Yet for all his desire, there was also something more to his life than this great universe. Upon further consideration, he realized that Rosen Saira was not a separate universe. She was not made of clusters and worlds of stars, planets, and moons.

The princess was simply a large planet in the greater Kuchiki Kouga universe. He cherished that world, traveled to it when he needed reassurance. While Saira was not immune to his powers, she was one of the most honest spirits he came into contact with. She would not spare him her opinion, where other females had simply bowed at his feet. He liked that bit of sass and spark, and made sure that he didn't harm her simply for control's sake.

He was not a foolish or unintelligent spirit, and had realized early on that curly haired spirit had feelings for him. That was not the question. The real question was his feelings for her. He didn't want to hurt her, yet his desire for Kouga made him realize that the two would never be equals in his world. He would always reach for Kouga, would always yearn for his shinigami no matter what else came into his life.

There was plenty of time to think about what life would be like in Sereitei, how he would balance Kouga and Saira without losing his sanity.

* * *

_The sweet air of the valley clung to his nostrils as he tore his way into the inner world before him. He landed on top of a tall boulder, which allowed him to see the entire valley fully. _

_He immediately saw a tall woman in dark blue robes feeding a deer, his eyes fixated on the soft smile that played on her lips. He couldn't see her body clearly from the heavy robes, but he imagined a full and lush figure. It surprised him - he didn't get very deep into women, preferring the company of men overall. He had begun attempting bonds with women since his master was bound in the outer world to a woman. Yet there were no examples of really how to treat females at all. Kouga spoke softly sometimes and made demands at other times. It was a given that his orders were followed, so there was never a need for real softness or empathy. _

_The woman had taken his hesitance as an opportunity to attack, her katana headed for his chest. He disappeared and reappeared behind her, using his long fingernails to claw her back open. It healed faster than he expected and he heard her sharp comment bounce around the open space. "My, if this is your idea of a first date, then I completely understand why you aren't popular with the ladies." _

_It stunned him for a moment, but he recovered. "You are aware of who I am?" _

_"My mistress does not keep up with the spirits of this world, but I do. I have heard much about you, whisperer."_

_"So why not defend yourself?" _

_"If you got in here, spirit, then the battle is already half over. Your name?" _

_"Yours, first." _

_"I am Rosen Saira." _

_"Muramasa. It is nice to meet you...I suppose." _

_"Oh? What's the matter? You seem...shocked. Scared of a woman who has no fear of you?" _

_It was her final comment that had influenced him to begin treating her kindly. "Trust me, Muramasa, there is no chaos you could inflict on me here that outweighs the sorrow I have already experienced. Play your tricks on a weaker mind." _

_They had grown from that point, slowly opening up to each other. They shared stories of their shinigami, and Muramasa noticed that Saira never mentioned the name of her shinigami. He was so proud of Kouga that he couldn't help but say the shinigami's name in reverence. _

_"How pathetic. They're just shinigami. They are nothing without us." _

_Muramasa couldn't believe his ears, and had tried to explain to Saira everything he had learned with Kouga. _

_**Understanding. Connection**__. _

_She would hear none of it. He vowed someday to teach her, and they had started their somewhat friendship, somewhat more relationship around this concept. _

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_There is no choosing between them. I couldn't do that to Saira, when I know that everything that makes me who I am belongs completely to Kuchiki Kouga. _

Muramasa looked down at the water, now at the right level. He concentrated on keeping the warmth in the water long enough to go find Kouga.

Fortunately, he didn't have a long time to actually wait. His shinigami was hanging in the doorway, with a thin robe around his body. He was looking at Muramasa with a soft smile. "Finally going to enjoy a bath, I take it?"

The spirit shook his head, waving a hand to the assortment of bathing gear stacked neatly around part of the large ring of the tub. "I noticed you were still sleeping after we were...intimate. I decided that you might like to clean up a bit differently."

"Oh. And you?"

"I've already had enough water, thank you very much."

"You're a cat. I'm convinced."

"I am not a cat."

Kouga laughed softly as he saw that trademark scowl reappear on Muramasa's face. He moved over to him, giving him a light kiss on the lips and brazenly reaching down to stroke and tease the slender man with his thick fingers. "Oh? If you are not a cat as you so passionately claim, then why is it that I can make you purr so easily?"

"Mm, Kouga...you're distracting me. Get in the tub."

Kouga chuckled, noticing how flustered Muramasa got whenever the focus was on the spirit himself. _He really should let me take care of him sometimes. I can't say I know how, but I'd like to think I'm willing to try._

He decided to get in the tub without too much more teasing, leaving the simple robe on a hook close by. The warm water was at just the right temperature, and he looked up at Muramasa with a confused look.

"I'll never understand how you're able to control these things so well. I really appreciate it."

Muramasa moved to pick up the bottle of shampoo, squirting a generous portion into Kouga's hair and working it in. He was careful to watch his nails as he gently cleaned Kouga's hair, calling in a warm pitcher of water to rinse it out. He was glad that Kouga still hadn't replaced the kenseikan in his hair. He lightly stroked the fiery red ponytail, enjoying the way it felt in his hand.

_His quiet defiance against all of them. I really like it. _

_No, _he thought to himself_, there's really nothing about Kouga I _don't_ like. He is truly strong and beautiful. I couldn't be happier than I am right now._

"Mm, Mura...that feels nice."

"I am not finished..."

He sat on the edge of the tub with his simple robe on, rolling up his sleeves so they would not get wet. He dipped his head down to nibble at Kouga's neck, while his hands moved a washcloth slowly over the taller man's chest. He was rewarded for his efforts with a soft mouth from his shinigami's lips.

_You have no idea, my dear shinigami. I am truly not finished with you yet. _

"Mura...you're..."

"Hush now. Just relax. I am not finished yet."

Soft nibbles segued effortlessly into slow licks and quiet kisses, while those slim fingers moved the washcloth over Kouga's right arm, cleaning him while he worked on building a slightly different fire.

Kouga moaned, closing his eyes and leaning back into Muramasa's touch_. This is so tender, such a nice idea. He really does want to take care of me._

"Mmm...ah...oh...do you know what you're doing to me?"

"Of course. I could ask you the same question...."

Muramasa sucked on the soft tanned flesh, earning more loud cries from Kouga. He made sure to keep his hands busy on cleaning his shinigami, while he explored new flesh and angles due to where they were seated.

Kouga shivered, unable to control himself as Muramasa began sucking on his neck. "Kami, that feels so good..."

Muramasa let go to whisper seductively into his lover's ear, "And just think...I am not finished at all. There's so much more I'm going to do you."

Kouga opened his eyes wide at the last statement, unable to pull away from the slender spirit that was creating so many sensations in and around him.

"Were you reading my book while I wasn't looking...mm..."

The whisperer laughed softly, nipping the outer edge of Kouga's soft ear. "Mm, the only book that I care about...is the story of you and I...and I believe that book has generated all the ideas I could ever want..."

The admission warmed Kouga's heart, but the warmth was not content to stay there. Desire curled around him and claimed him again, leaving him wanting more than these words and touches. He wanted a lot more, but he was going to be patient.

Muramasa continued washing Kouga, moving his hands as he needed to. Eventually, it was time to rinse and dry him off. This left a very clean Kouga, and a world of other opportunities to try with him.

_He is walking perfection. I'm sure of it._ Muramasa took time to drink in the details of the tanned chest with those well defined muscles, so much a contrast to his own slim frame. He enjoyed arms that seemed to burst with their own unique power, and delighted in a flat belly that invited the eye to travel further down. He couldn't help but lick his lips to find Kouga was in a slight state of arousal, his erection only barely beginning to bloom.

He guided Kouga to sit on the wide edge of the tub, waiting until his shinigami was in place before continuing. His small hands carefully pulled Kouga's legs apart, moving to continue to increase Kouga's excitement for the moment.

Kouga moaned, watching his whisperer tease and stroke him. He captured those cool, pale lips and sighed contentedly, sliding his tongue against his lovers slowly. He let out a muffled cry against Muramasa's lips as the spirit lightly began to squeeze him firmly.

_What is he planning today?_ Kouga didn't have long to wait to find out, since Muramasa began planting kisses down his chest, punctuated by slow licks. Each sweep of that tongue stirred something else inside Kouga, caused him to shiver and slide back and forth.

"Muramasa...you..."

"Shh. I am not finished yet, Kouga."

The words were delivered in that strange whisper tone that Muramasa took on when they were behind closed doors together. It was a voice that he had heard numerous times behind closed doors, but not as insistent as it was today.

_He's exploring me._

_He's enjoying me. _

_He's going to..._

Kouga's thoughts were confirmed as cool, pale lips pressed themselves against the tip of his arousal. There was a slow roll of the tongue, circling his most sensitive zone a few times before those lips began moving down.

It was a sensation that completely brought Kouga's attention down to Muramasa. He moved his hips slowly, moaning as each stroke send more heat raging through his body.

The oral pleasure in of itself wasn't what really captured Kouga's attention. It was the look of complete ecstasy on Muramasa's face while everything was happening. The spirit's eyes were closed, his facial features pulled into a calm, relaxed theme that reflected his emotions at the moment. His lover was making slow strokes, his head moving up and down. Kouga admired the messy brown locks and noticed how they fluttered as the slender man moved.

_You like it, don't you? _

At first, Kouga wasn't sure where the voice was coming from. Muramasa's lips were busy and all he could hear from the spirit up close were a few muffled moans and gasps as his loved busied himself with tasting and exploring Kouga. A few moments passed before he realized that Muramasa was using part of their new communication method. He was literally connecting their thoughts together in a way that Kouga found absolutely erotic.

_Yes, I do. _

_Mm, Kouga...say it out loud. For me. _

"I love what you're doing to me...don't stop..."

_How could I deny you anything? _

Kouga reached down to run his hands through Muramasa's hair, then he paused as he realized he might be doing something that might not go over well.

_Follow your instincts, lover. That felt nice._

He continued to run his hands through the soft brown hair, noticing the layers. His eyes followed the purple-brown circles around his lover's eyes as those cool lips continued to taste and explore the length of his manhood.

"Do you know what you do to me...when you do this?"

_Perhaps I do...but I have been known to...forget. Tell me what it does to you. _

_Always the tease._ "I guess...it starts with your eyes...the way you close them ...it makes it look like you're completely focused...on..." He paused, blushing. While they had been together many times over the last 2 years, he was still a little shy when it came to actually saying much about it.

_On what, lover? What is it that I'm doing to you? _

"You're tasting me...completely...with your mouth...sucking on me...all of me...gods, you look so erotic doing it too!"

Kouga heard a soft chuckle in his mind, and he guessed that his excitement amused his whispering lover.

_High praise coming from you...what do you want now...?_

"Please...continue...more...more..."

He felt his lover's long fingernails lightly scrape his inner thigh as the spirit continued to touch, tease, lick, and taste him fully. He noticed Muramasa begin to move slightly faster, increasing the speed yet not too terribly much.

"You're so good at this..."

_I dream about it often._

Kouga blinked, the simple confession making him even more excited. "You...dream...about pleasing me like this?"

_Yes. Often. Like when we are in the real world and you are drawing maps of this forsaken desert...I imagine being in your lap, exploring you the way we are exploring this desert. _

Kouga moved his hips a little faster, then blushed further. "Sorry...I don't mean..."

_Never apologize to me for your pleasure...did I not tell you to follow your instincts? _

Those semi-sharp fingernails continued to tap and dig into his flesh, scratching him in earnest. Kouga moved his own hands through Muramasa's hair, tangling his fingers up in it so that he actually had a firm hold. He began to slowly control Muramasa's movements, taking care not to rush.

_Is that from your book too? _

Kouga chuckled, and continued to push his arousal smoothly in and out of those cool lips, guided more by instinct than any lines out of a book. "No...there's no substitute for experimentation."

_Indeed. It's...interesting...the way you're...controlling me, moving me. _

"I don't want to hurt you..."

_Keep going. I am quite alright...how do you say it, lover? More._

Kouga couldn't take much more of this stimulation, the way those lips were tightly around him. He moved faster, excited by the way Muramasa's face seemed to light up with the same pleasure he suspected his own face had.

_I know you are close, you cannot hide from me, lover. _

"Don't...want this...to end..."

He noticed Muramasa's left hand move underneath him, followed by the flash of something being pulled into their scene. Two flashes.

_Hm, what else is he going to do to me? _

He soon found out, as those skilled fingers were pushing something slim against his entrance. He heard the nails tap together, and a small vibration began to run over them and against the slim item.

"Oh! Muramasa!"

_I told you. You cannot hide from me, lover. _

Kouga moved his hips faster and faster, feeling like he was about to fall off the edge of a high cliff into an oblivion he desired and feared at the same time. The vibrations were small but very noticeable and it added a nice background to the moves Muramasa made with his lips and tongue.

"I can't...I can't hold it in..."

_So let go, Kouga. I want to taste you._

The words bounced around in his mind with a force no sandstorm or whirlwind in Hueco Mundo could match. He called his lover's name over and over as he reached his peak, feeling that familiar moist stickiness coming out. He moaned softly as he felt Muramasa's lips continue to explore him, not breaking the pace at all. The sweep of that hot tongue over the tip of his arousal indicated that the spirit was not joking when he mentioned his desire to taste all of him.

"Muramasa...oh...oh..ahh...that was amazing."

The spirit finally let him go and he moved his hands out of the thick maze of brown locks.

"You are quite welcome, Kouga."

He watched the spirit quietly clean him up, still shocked at the depth of his lover's desire for him.

_He wants me. He wants me. He wants me. _

Muramasa smiled softly up to his lover, and began to get up until Kouga pinned him to the shinigami's side. He didn't get a chance to protest before those lips claimed him again, tongue pushing in deeply. While he was confident that he had swallowed most of those hot, sticky strands he was sure there was a lingering taste behind.

Kouga let him go, licking his lips. "Ah. A little bit of me, a little bit of you...it felt right. Followed my instincts and all that."

Muramasa laughed openly, unable to fight the emotion in spite of the tenderness they had just shared. His lover, his master, his partner...his everything, always spontaneous.

"More reason I love you."

Kouga blinked, his eyes going wide. Even though they had said those words to each other before, it still warmed Kouga's heart. He was tired, unsure why he felt so sleepy all of a sudden.

_Shh. It is time for you to get your rest...thank you, for letting me follow my instincts today, Kouga. _

The spirit's soft words were the last thing his mind was aware of before he fell asleep in those strong arms.

Muramasa held his lover tightly to him, quietly running his fingers carefully through that red ponytail.

_If loving you is one of my instincts, then I will make sure I follow it to the end of my days. Do not worry, Kouga. _

_I love you. I love you. I love you. _

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**AN: *squeaks* I couldn't think of an ending that wasn't mushy - this was a chapter that took me a few days to work up because of my schedule, but I love it. I want to start weaving more plotty-stuff into Deca, which is why you got the Mura thoughts and some of the backstory between Muramasa and Saira - there are reasons why he chose to continue playing and talking to her. I got a chance to talk to my beta, and I fell into a lengthy conversation on why Saira is just as important to Muramasa as Kouga - well, not quite but as close as anyone else can get.**

**First, remember that Saira and Muramasa are both zanpaktou spirits - there's a lot of hints in the Pillars universe that the zanpaktou have their own "world" so to speak. Hence there's a different bond there - he can tell Saira things that he may not be ready to share with Kouga.**

**I got a request for a Sai/Mura/Kouga meeting if not threesome, and I'm hesitant to write that into Deca. Not because I'm a prude (hah, we're 8 chapters into quite a smutfic, I doubt anyone thinks I'm a prude at this point), but because it doesn't make sense with respect to the rest of the storyline.**

**Saira cannot come to Hueco Mundo, as that is too far away from Mizuki.**

**Muramasa cannot come back to Soul Society, as he and Kouga share the same reiatsu signature. It would endanger his shinigami to do so.**

**It's crossed my mind but alas, I can't see how to make that work. Also, I don't really see Kouga able to share, nor do I see Muramasa willing to do anything he does with Kouga in view of other people.**

**I had Ne-Yo's "Closer" playing for part of this, as a music-note.**

**Each chapter, I like to vary the lemon a little bit - I know I just wrote an oral scene for another fic, but I felt it really fit these two. I liked the idea of Muramasa getting to focus on his Kouga and then pleasure him in such a direct, focused way.**

**Oh! You might have noticed that Muramasa manifested not one, but _two_ things. I only described one on purpose. The second is a surprise :D**

**I don't like getting into seme/uke battles with these two. Muramasa is definitely without desire to play the seme - in Chapter 7, I think I pointed that out, but I can't remember right now.**

**Yes, role reversal is fun - but it's also hard, and as much as I like seeing Kouga vulnerable and smexed up, I think I would prefer to leave Kouga with most of the control. Now, uke doesn't mean 'doormat' to me - my Muramasa is definitely an uke with a backbone. Hence why you'll hear a slight authoritative tone every now and then - it's hinted that Muramasa has more experience than Kouga, and that's where his 'toppy' attitude stems from.**

**I loved the 'thought connection' thing they did. Writing 'dirty talk' in a proper way (because I still can't see Kouga saying anything really filthy, he's so uptight and Muramasa is…Muramasa) is interesting. I dropped that in here to add depth and intimacy to the moment. I really, really, like how their sexual side has changed since The Great Confession in Sanctuary ;) I hope that they're still hot behind closed doors – you can love someone and still have the fire, I hope ;)**

**Oh. If you're into Pillars, I have a couple of other pieces of the series to upload. I want to do the backstory of *my* Kouga and Muramasa within the AU world I've created. I am intrigued by a few things: 1) Kouga's reaction to having such a unique zanpaktou 2) developing enough of a relationship with Muramasa to achieve shikai ...among other things.**

**So we'll probably deviate from eps 250 & 251 again, since they don't cover all of the backstory of Kouga and Muramasa at all.**

**We'll see. I'm excited though.**

**I don't have anything else to say, so I'm going to go ahead and get this puppy uploaded and let y'all enjoy! I will try to get another chapter out but it might be another few days. These chappies are nearly 4,000 words each, you know :) It takes some time for me to work up all this...well, you know :)**

***leaves LOTS of Muramasa and Kouga cookies* - it seems this story has gotten popular. I cannot thank everyone enough for continuing to watch for these updates and read them. Your views, reviews, PMs, comments, alerts and faves mean the world to me!**

**One more thing that I wanted to discuss real quick to my readers. While I may not update as quickly as others on this site, I will *always* finish a story. It's not complete until you see it marked 'complete'.**

**In addition, I'm seeing a lot of writers, some of whom I truly adore and respect fall into the "reviews or I'm not updating".**

**That's the most childish thing I've ever heard in my life. I'm sorry, I don't write for the reviews, or even the _views_. I'm grateful for them, but I'll never hold my stories hostage – that's just nasty to me and makes me even less likely to review your work. A review is a gift on both sides, and when you force people to review just to read what you write, you're breaking that gift. Instead of getting a whole cookie, you're getting a rushed cookie that's half eaten.**

**After all, if you force people to give reviews, they aren't motivated to give _good_ ones. It becomes a race for numbers, and that is not a game I will ever play on the fans I do have.**

**Sure, I'd love to have 500 reviews – what writer wouldn't – but even if no one reviewed my chapters, I would still publish because I love doing this. I love building this world and I've grown attached to storytelling the path of Kouga and Muramasa through love, life, and challenge.**

**With so many writers falling into this review or die style pit, I wanted to vocally let my readers know that I will never, ever do such a thing. I couldn't violate the trust and the time you've taken to read my fic with that type of nonsense.**

**As a side note, in a month I officially celebrate my 8th year as a professional writer. Perhaps that's where my attitude stems from – I come from a world where there IS no recognition, no reviews – merely the pride a writer has for a job well done. When you've written for as long as I have, you know when you've done well and when you need to swing that bat again.**

**I hope I'm not coming off too bitchy with this, but I wanted to get that off my chest without a thousand posts about it. Let's keep fanfiction fun, shall we?**

**I'm outsicles, see ya on the flip!**


	9. The Exploration of Seclusion: Part Six

**Pillars of Decadence, a KougaxMuramasa fic**

**Disclaimers: Bleach is not mine. **

**Author's Note: Slowly getting back into the fanfic writing groove. Work is still intense, so I'm still scarce. I figured y'all would appreciate an update, so here I am again. As if I could resist an opportunity to write some KxM happy time!**

**This is actually set BEFORE the events in Chapter 9. There's a few mechanics that need to be worked out in Sanctuary, so I'm going to fill Deca until Sanct is ready to go. I don't think anyone minds this at all :) **

**As always, full notes at the bottom, short notes at the is very dialogue, flashback, and thought driven. I wanted to develop their relationship a bit more, since there's so much complication here -- Midori-dono (K's wife), Saira, Hikaru, Sereitei in general... plus Kouga's own personal issues. I had a lot of fun writing this. Sorry I didn't come up with a V-Day fic for these two, but I wasn't feeling it. I hope the fluffiness here makes up for it. It starts out a -touch- angsty in the beginning, my apologies. It has a happy resolution though? :)  
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**Warnings: Yaoi, lemons. :) 9 chapters in, need I say more? Though, this isn't as "hard" - I kept things very soft for the most part, aside from obvious lemon action. **

**Storytime...oh, you know the rest ;)**

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**_The Exploration of Seclusion, Part Six_**

Muramasa didn't need any fancy almanacs or strange rituals to discover the weather around him. All it took was simply walking outside to look at the world that was truly home. There were many things tied to the weather outside in this world of pillars and ocean, but the most important thing to him was Kouga's moods.

Indeed, as he walked out to the balcony and felt the chilly breeze nip at his face and hands, he realized that Kouga was beginning to fall into a foul mood. He looked down at the furious water swirling around and around far below him. Even though his relationship to Kouga had deepened over the years, he was still terribly afraid of that water rising high enough to devour him, rising high enough to wipe away any trace that he ever existed. It was his greatest fear, because it represented the true fear he held: being separated from Kouga.

If he was more childish like many of his zanpaktou kindred, he would simply assume that such a thing would never happen. However, Muramasa had picked up on the silent threat that was hidden behind this current punishment in Hueco Mundo. It was supposed to tame them, get them meek and ready to willing kow-tow to anything that Sereitei wanted them to do next.

_We will __**not**__ bow. _

_We will __**not**__ cave. _

_We will __**not**__ surrender. _

_Ever. _

_I will make sure of it. _

The idea that anyone truly wished his Kouga — yes, he could call him that now without fear — harm made him angry like nothing else. He could deal with the distance between himself and the other zanpaktou — they meant nothing anyway. They were simply distractions when he needed something to do other than pace the set of tall pillars that made up his home.

He thought of Kouga's earlier question to him about becoming stronger, about achieving bankai. There were things that Kouga was not meant to know yet, mysteries upon mysteries that needed to be revealed slowly. As proud as he was of his master, he was more aware than most of Kouga's limitations.

_It isn't that he doesn't trust in himself. It's simply that he hasn't learned how to truly break away from __**them**__. _

Muramasa remembered the terrible pain in Kouga's voice as he recounted Kuchiki Ginrei's coldness and indifference towards him. It was something that infuriated him, and he would make sure that Ginrei would pay dearly for ever causing his beloved such great pain.

_I would blot them all away, if only he would smile for me. What does that say about me? _

Before he could continue his musings, he felt strong hands wrap around his shoulders, pulling him backward. Considering there was only ever one other resident here, there was no question about who was embracing him.

"Good evening."

"You're awake early."

Muramasa chuckled. "I do not require sleep the way you require sleep, remember? I did not wish to disturb you with my reflections, so I stepped outside."

"Dressed again."

Those strong hands trailed his dark blue yukata carefully, seeming to fight the urge to yank it off.

"I do not have your habits, you know."

As Kouga's hands relaxed, Muramasa permitted himself a moment to turn and face his lover directly. There was an odd look in Kouga's eyes that Muramasa couldn't translate into any specific emotion.

"Kouga? Something the matter?"

"Just needed to be close to you. I hate how lonely it is here."

"We are always alone here."

"No, I mean...out there. I hate that we're here. I'm glad I have you...but..."

The subject of Sereitei was something left unsaid; both men had their own reasons for wanting to be back in the homeland rather than in this eternal night. Sunlight and fluffy clouds were only surface reasons; their true desires ran much deeper than that. They both had people they wanted to be close to, even if those people brought their own set of problems.

"It is all right, Kouga. I am simply going to take each day with you slowly."

Kouga watched the spirit quietly, unsure what to say. He had drifted into his inner world in his sleep and woken up very confused at all the emotions around him.

The sight of his lover in just the dark blue robe was definitely arousing, yet he found himself confronted with a lot of feelings he wasn't sure how to deal with. He wanted more than flesh, more than heart. He wanted soul and knew he could have it, yet he did not know if he even deserved it. He could ask for anything here, and Muramasa would give it gladly. He worried that there would come a day where Muramasa would grow weary of him and rebel against him the way they pushed other swords against their masters on the battlefield.

"You are troubled."

"I am fine."

Those slim fingers with their long fingernails ghosted over Kouga's pale cheek, with sky blue eyes following each movement. "I am amused that you believe that you can hide your feelings from me after we are so connected."

So absolutely arrogant. Yet I find that ...I wouldn't change him.

"I just..I...really like what we do. I really enjoy having you...close to me. I like what you do to me, and what I do to you."

"So?"

"Ah...I mean...you don't mind...when I see you...I just..."

Kouga blushed.

_Kami-sama, this is damned embarrassing. _

"You want me."

It wasn't really a statement, but it wasn't a true question either. The shifting nature of the words intrigued Kouga, and he wanted to explore them further.

He brought his hand up to slowly pull aside the fluffy ascot that adorned Muramasa's neck, and froze as his eyes saw the dark markings on it.

"Kouga..."

"Don't try to explain them away. I did that. I did that to you..."

Fear gripped Kouga tightly, causing doubt to rush in to take advantage of the unique opportunity to shake and rattle his world. _I've been leaving these heavy bruises behind after...being with him...how can he look at me like I'm the best thing that's ever happened to him?_

"Yes, you did. But Kouga..."

"No!"

"Be quiet for a moment and listen to me!"

Kouga blinked, his eyes growing wide with shock. Muramasa's voice never rose when he spoke to him — he decided to grant the spirit's request rather than take offense at being yelled at.

"It is true that you made those marks. It is true that they stung a little when they were applied. Yet you are assuming that you are the only person that delights in blurring the lines between pleasure and pain and I won't allow it. I won't."

"You mean..."

"Yes. I like it when you get a little rough. You get so excited, Kouga. I like when you're happy."

"Even when it hurts you?"

The spirit waved his long fingernails back and forth for a moment. "How many times have you asked me to drag these across your back, down your sides, and over your chest? Hmm? Do you think it was easy for me to look at the marks I left behind and not feel horrendous for being the source of that pain?"

"I didn't know..."

"Because I love you. I only wish for your happiness, nothing more."

"You should be happy as well, you know."

Muramasa moved closer to Kouga, looking him in the eyes for a moment. "You are my happiness, Kouga. All of it. Everything I am, any goodness I possess, any motivation for life...comes from you. I do not care what the world thinks, I only care what you think. I care little for anything else that is not directly connected to serving your agenda to the fullest."

Kouga began to respond but was cut off by Muramasa's sudden kiss, passionate and hungry. The spirit leaned against him gently, moving to thread his fingers through a lock of hair. Kouga sensed the longing, passion, hunger and need through each movement, each blink of the eye.

He broke off the kiss with a sigh, unsure how to swim in these uncharted waters. These were emotions he wasn't sure how to deal with. They couldn't be blown aside with a well placed kido spell, nor could they simply be cut down with a slash from his sword.

The spirit continued speaking in a low tone, the deep husky tones curling around him invitingly. "What will it take for you to understand that our sexual aspect is not one-sided?" He began to smirk as he reached to trap Kouga's right hand in his own slender grasp. He leaned forward to whisper in Kouga's ear as the confident hand moved its new captive right over its owner's growing arousal. "Do you need to feel it for yourself, what you do to me every time I even lay eyes on you? Hmm? Is that what you need?"

Kouga let out a soft moan as he began to realize exactly where his hand was being rubbed over. "Muramasa...I ...I don't know what I'm doing all the time. I don't want to hurt you after you've...been so good to me."

The spirit seemed to accept this, giving only a nod in return. He continued moving Kouga's hand back and forth, closing his eyes slightly. "This isn't the only thing I want...far from it. Yet when we're in each other's arms I can think of no other place I want to be. Our sexual nature is only pleasant to me because there's so much emotion to go with it. The way you look at me, the way you speak to me, the way you think about me all the time. That's what makes it special."

Kouga smirked. "Says the man currently using my hand to arouse himself."

Muramasa returned the smirk and winked playfully. "Says the man that has made no complaint so far."

Kouga kissed him again, shaking his hand free of Muramasa's grasp so he could squeeze and torment the warm flesh underneath his hand even further. He heard Muramasa's muffled moans and shivered as he realized that his lover was completely excited by nothing other than himself.

_He's completely aroused because of me - nothing else. I find that so exciting..._

Kouga used his free hand to slowly slide the ascot back a little more, moving to suck hungrily on the newly exposed pale flesh. "I think...we're going to have to stop teasing ourselves."

"Oh? Didn't the books you grabbed talk about foreplay?"

Kouga gave Muramasa's neck one last nip before letting him go. "My, such a naughty spirit — and what do you know about such things?"

Muramasa grinned, merely grazing his fingernails over Kouga's shoulders and down his chest slightly. "Everything I know, I share freely...don't I?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "I think you're a secret voyeur in the making; you seem to be far too curious about what I've done in the past, the BK era."

"BK?"

"Before Kouga."

"Oh. Doesn't that imply there's an AK era?"

"No. Never. There is nothing after you, because without you there is no me."

Kouga blushed. "You do avoid telling me things...I know that you've been with other people..."

"Does that bother you?"

"Only because I don't know them."

Muramasa quietly faded away the outdoors and placed them back in the bedroom, settling Kouga into bed with a smile. "Sorry, I figure that if we're going to talk we might want to be more comfortable."

Kouga nodded. "Why do you hesitate so much on telling me things like that?"

"Kouga...you must understand...the zanpaktou world is private for many reasons."

"Why would it need to be separate?"

"Because the shinigami tend to only see us as weapons instead of spirits that have hearts, minds...and souls. Our world is protected and separate — most of it carried out while the shinigami are at rest or otherwise occupied. In fact, before I came along few shinigami were even aware there was a separate world."

The spirit went quiet and Kouga nudged him slightly. "What did you do?"

"I merely...encouraged my fellow spirits to follow their instincts. They began to develop their own corners of the spirit world into something that made them happier."

"How did you begin...um..."

"My, still so shy after those dirty books you read?"

"Hey, don't pick on me."

A quick kiss and a deep chuckle from his spirit lover. "My apologies, I can't help it when you're so adorable. Anyway, you're asking about when I actually began taking lovers?"

"Yes."

"Not too long ago, maybe half a century ago. It began as a way to pass the time — you must understand that when you're not using me, time passes very slowly."

Kouga settled Muramasa closer to him, slowly sliding his lover's robe off his shoulder. If Muramasa minded, he gave no indication. "I don't really remember most of them, really. I don't keep connections easily."

"Why not?"

"The only connection that concerns me is ours. Everything else is a placeholder for that, one that drastically pales in comparison."

Kouga nodded, blushing a bit. He knew that his lover thought the world of him, but the level of devotion was still sinking in. He busied his hands with rubbing Muramasa's shoulders slowly, working out the knots of tension there.

"That feels nice."

"Do you ..ah, have a preference?"

"In terms of lovers? Male, without question. I've entertained females but...I find them shrill more often than not."

Kouga chuckled. "I never expected you to be so fussy about things."

"I am not fussy. It is the simple truth. Anyway, I know what you're going to ask next. There are only two of note, really, with a slight hierarchy falling under them."

"You make it sound like you're in control."

"In that world? Why wouldn't I be?"

The words hung in the air, leaving Kouga to his thoughts again. He felt foolish for not realizing or appreciating that the power he relied on in Sereitei would naturally be at Muramasa's disposal as he walked through this strange world of zanpaktou.

_He is truly strong beyond belief. He is completely in control of the way he sees the world. Yet he comes here, night after night, to lay all that he is before my feet — and becomes thankful for the privilege of doing so. _

Kouga wasn't sure how to proceed, or what he should say. "You're right...I guess it's just strange to me how we're different and yet similiar."

"There's always a surrender of something that's necessary in order to move higher."

"Is that why you surrender to me?"

"In a sense, yes. My dominance over my fellow spirits means nothing to me without being tempered by my complete surrender to your will. It's a balance."

_Balance_. It was something that Kouga craved and desired very much. He didn't stop and think as much as Muramasa did about such things, but he knew that something in his life wasn't right.

He recalled Ginrei's words, recalled the older man admonishing him for seeing his mission to Hueco Mundo as mere punishment.

_Take the time to reflect on how to become better, stronger. _

He began to grin widely. _Oh, Ginrei-dono, you have no idea what you've done, but that is all right. I will show you the benefits of being away from your influence for ten years has given me. _

"And the two lovers?"

"You already know of one - Saira."

"I don't know any zanpaktou by that name."

"And you never will. Many of us use other names to keep our shinigami from getting involved into our lives in the separate world."

"I see."

"It's also to protect all of you — I do not know what another zanpaktou would do if a shinigami knew about our world like that — they could trick them into being locked into the inner world without being able to leave. That's dangerous."

Kouga shivered, and found his lover turning to kiss him quickly. "Do not worry. I would never do such a thing."

"Could I survive something like that?"

"Kouga, I just said..."

"Just answer me."

"Yes. You could."

"Why am I different?"

He blushed. That was the ultimate question that reigned supreme in his heart, if he had to be honest with himself. _Why am I always being set aside?_

"Think back to what you learned in your training, Kouga. A zanpaktou is merely the extension of a shinigami's soul. A symbol of your inner strength and power. That is why you are considered so different by your peers. That is why many are afraid of you. What was hiding in your soul that would create a zanpaktou that holds the ability to completely control others? When used improperly, it truly is a formidable power. This is why it is critical...for us to be connected, to know each other and trust in each other."

Kouga nodded, still impressed that Muramasa could express himself so easily on such matters while he struggled just to string a few sentences together. It wasn't that he wasn't skilled with the pen, but that these were matters not covered by the standard shinigami education.

He opened Muramasa's robe slowly, hearing the soft rustle of fabric sliding down pale skin. He realized that the spirit did not enjoy being exposed, which surprisingly added a strange erotic edge to an already arousing experience.

"You mentioned two lovers and only told me about one."

"Hikaru. He...we had a relationship once upon a time, of sorts."

"Oh?"

"Well...he happens to look somewhat like you."

Muramasa paused, looking up to study Kouga's face. The subject of Hikaru was one that still left him furious, breathless, and slightly aroused all at the same time. It bothered him that another spirit could strike up those types of feelings in him.

_Sorry your first time isn't in a bed, princess. _

_Go on - say his name. I don't mind. _

He realized that he had hurt both Saira and Hikaru by withdrawing back into the shell that he always held around him, knowing full well that it was the best decision he could make. Like Kouga, he was different. Yet unlike his master, Muramasa was born into the zanpaktou world realizing that he was different and there was little that he could do to change it. It was the root of why he never saw the beauty that Kouga always claimed rested in him; if he was so beautiful, then why would potential lovers cringe at the sight of him? Why would they speak behind his back in hushed tones? Was that the fate of so-called beautiful people? No, it was better to simply assume that he was not part of the beautiful world.

It didn't bother him. He was part of the _functional_ world, part of the practical world where _power_ was the mark of quality, not beauty. By that measurement, Muramasa was quality indeed.

Some days, it was easier to just rest back and be more sword than spirit.

Yet this day, with Kouga curling around him and running those strong hands down his chest and sides, he figured he should play the spirit.

"He looks like me, eh?"

"Yes. There are differences. No substitute can ever be as good as the original."

"Now you're just stroking my ego."

"Well, lover...you have me in a position where I don't have the opportunity to...stroke anything else."

Wordplay was probably one of Muramasa's favorite things about these private moments with Kouga. He could shock, arouse, and even incite deep emotion with a few well placed words. It was a power that he made sure remained sharp at all times, since it had the ability to bring Kouga out of the darkest of moods. Even though they were inside the sanctuary, he could feel the warm breeze and knew without looking outside that the water had calmed as well.

_Oh, Kouga. Do you not realize that I would offer all that I am, if only to see your soul quiet and at peace?_

Kouga tipped Muramasa's head back, kissing him deeply, his hand reaching up to lightly trace the line of his lover's exposed throat.

An idea crossed Kouga's mind, an opportunity to show Muramasa that he had been practicing altering this inner world the way the whispering spirit had taught him.

He concentrated carefully, his brows locking together as he set the scene differently. He imagined Muramasa's robes disappearing, turning into fine clouds of dust before fading away. He saw it in his mind in beautiful detail, the slow exposure of pale skin and beautiful lines.

"Kouga..."

There were a few notes of desire hidden in the soft call of his name, and he opened his eyes to find that his goal had indeed been achieved. He now held his very exposed lover in his arms, noticing the way those messy brown locks barely touched his shoulders.

"Very good work. A little slow, but...you're getting there."

"Slow? Like you could do it faster."

He saw the lazy sweep of those long nails touch his skin, before his own robes simply vanished, leaving behind only a slight tingle.

"Mm, better."

"You just wanted to boast."

"And if I did?"

"So arrogant."

"Careful, now. We -are- merely two sides of the same coin, you know."

They slipped back into using their mental link to speak, letting their lips occupy each other while their hands made the initial exploration over flesh. Muramasa's slim fingers danced over Kouga's sides, the fingernails digging in ever so slightly.

_I like being able to explore you, enjoy you. _

_I enjoy being explored and enjoyed, Kouga. _

They forgot about the storytelling in a few places, as Kouga broke off the kiss to move Muramasa around.

_Maybe you should be on top, lover. _

_Me? On top? I despise it so, Kouga. Take me today?_

As you like.

Their movements were slow and measured, mainly because there was no need or desire to rush. They both knew that this was a game contained within a game — who could hold out longer, who could make it last as long as possible.

Like always, Kouga wanted to win but he knew that he lost more often than not. The sight of his lover fully exposed and completely aroused was often enough to make him lose any thought of resolve.

_You're absolutely beautiful, Mura. _

_Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. _

Kouga moved his hand forward, to curl around Muramasa's hardness completely. His lover let a soft moan escape from his lips, enjoying the way that his lover wiggled up against him.

_The way you touch me..._

_Is it okay? _

_More than okay. Electric. Powerful. Thrilling. I lose the words to describe it. _

_Good. I think I like leaving you speechless. _

_Tease. _

He pushed his lover gently off to the side and moved behind him, ready to try something new. He called in a bottle of slick oil, similar to the one that they carried with them in Hueco Mundo proper. It had a faint mint smell that he knew Muramasa secretly enjoyed.

Mint? I think you're spoiling me, Kouga.

Good. I need to take care of you too, lover.

He began putting the mint-infused oil to work, taking the opportunity to slide a finger inside a familiar warmth that was truly only Muramasa's. The finger slid in easily enough, and he worked the oil in carefully. Even though they had spent many nights and days together, he still always took the time to prepare his lover for anything and everything.

His own arousal ached, being so close to what it desperately wanted. He tried to maintain his sense of control as he finished and began to enter his lover very slowly.

_Kouga..._

_Yes, lover. You're always so tight..._

_And you're always so careful. Thank you. _

It was a slow night for exploring each other, for giving each other pleasure and comfort. Kouga paid attention to all the little details that were always present in their lovemaking sessions, yet it was only now that really made him stop and notice them. He saw the wide and clear expanse of Muramasa's back. He breathed in the faint smell of the mint and the unique smell that accompanied his lover.

This was the part of the challenge that tested Kouga the most, as he eventually found himself fully inside his lover. That familiar warmth and tightness always drove him insane.

He reached out to lick the back of Muramasa's neck slowly, taking great pleasure in hearing the soft moans grow louder.

_He's making those noises...for me. For me. For __**me**__. _

He began to increase the speed in measured bursts, enjoying the way Muramasa would tighten just so, or how his lover would clutch the sheets tightly as he would brush over a certain spot he knew his whispering lover simply adored.

"Do you know what you do to me when you moan like that?"

"I can make a few guesses, if you like."

He paused the increases to enjoy the new rapid rhythm, and the way Muramasa squeezed the sheets tighter.

He made sure to continue stroking and teasing Muramasa, making sure his lover was getting as much excitement as he was.

"Mmm...perhaps I'm not getting the spot right..."

"You're close...a little more, if you please..."

Kouga grinned, knowing exactly where to move next. The loud breathless moan that followed merely gave him confirmation.

"Ah! Kouga...right there...ohh..."

_One of these days, I'm going to have to get him to do these things to __**me**__. _

Muramasa moaned, shivering, feeling ready to just burst but wanting to hold on so he could wait for Kouga.

_Don't hold back, lover. I know you too well. I'm doing it on purpose._

Muramasa tried to fight the arrival of his release just a little longer, but Kouga's hand and movements were far too tempting to resist. He came hard for his lover, his voice rising and falling as he called for his lover over and over. He shook and wobbled for a moment before falling back against Kouga, chuckling as he realized his lover was still plowing away. It was an arousing thought, realizing that Kouga was still taking him, enjoying him, using him to move closer and closer to his own release.

Kouga flipped Muramasa over quickly, nibbling on the back of Muramasa's neck as he changed the angles slightly, increasing the amount of time spent brushing over that favored spot of his lover's.

He whispered in Muramasa's ear softly as he began to increase speed again. "I wanted you to finish first so I could do this, I could just take you, fill you up and drive into you. Cry out for me again, let me hear it in full now. Make it the only thing I focus on as I let go, love."

He heard those loud moans and cries, and felt the slender form underneath him shiver and move as Kouga drove deeply into him over and over. He prided himself on his stamina increasing and evening out as their relationship grew, and it was that new stamina that was on display for the moment. He continued speaking, mainly because he knew how much Muramasa enjoyed it.

"I love doing this to you, you know. You keep teasing me that you like it a little rough...so I'm going to take you to remind you...of everything."

"Kouga...mm..this side of you...more...please..."

"Oh? You like this? Moaning and rocking underneath me, being crushed by me? Consumed by me?"

"Yes..."

"Who do you belong to, lover?"

"To you...always and only to you..."

The words bounced around in his head and he couldn't hold on much longer. A few more thrusts was all he had left before he went over the edge, his release shocking him with its intensity. White flashes overcame him for a moment before reality crept back in slowly. He lay on top of Muramasa for a moment before moving back to his original position, snuggling close to his lover.

His final words were quieter, less hungry and more from the heart. "Saira...Hikaru...I don't care about them. They're part of your past, and as much as you hate admitting it, Saira is part of your present and even your future. I'm okay with that...you've shown me over and over...that you put me first. I love you. I love you..for everything."

Muramasa sighed. It made him feel a little better that they had been able to push aside the jealousy factor that silently plagued their relationship. He hummed a soft tune and felt completely content...even if he needed a shower. _Damned water._

He would speak to Saira later, when it was more fitting. For now, he would take solace in the warm breeze that grew warmer by the minute, and arms that held him firmly in place.

_Thank you, Kouga...for being __**my**__ sanctuary. _

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**AN: Whoosh! I -had- to write about our boys for this one. I wanted to have a more "chatty" chapter instead of jumping right into the lemony fun (but isn't the lemon what Decadence is for? tee hee).**

**I thank my muse greatly and Fatboy Slim in the same breath — an immense chunk of this chapter was written while jamming to the Rockefeller Skank, and I have no shame in that.**

**I didn't want to introduce two OC's that didn't matter in the grand storyverse, which is why I sort of wove Saira and Hikaru in. I still leave it open that Kouga isn't fully ...how do I put it...OK with Saira, but he realizes that Saira is part of a world he can't really be part of — and Muramasa needs someone in that world that cares about him.**

**I also wanted to round out Muramasa's character with respect to the *other* zanpaktou. He just strikes me as a loner. I apologize for deviating from canon hard with some of this, but I felt like it fit Pillars best.**

**I am still going to work on updating Sanctuary, but I figured that while I get the mechanics smoothed out y'all would appreciate some good ol' fashioned Kouga & Muramasa romance. *offers lots and lots of Kouga and Muramasa cookies***

**Maybe since I've been gone so long Peals of Laughter won't eat all of them. We have new fans to the storyverse, Peals - you CAN'T eat all of them!**

**I'm actually tempted to bake them in real life - I was at the store looking at icing. _Royal_ icing. I don't think they make a color that captures Kouga's super! bright! ponytail! It looks -pink-. I guess it's supposed to be red...but it shows up pink. Mm, Kouga is still nice and delicious though. Too bad he gets all old and mean and evil at the end. Damn you, Kouga.**

**-.- My muse is a little erratic. I am indeed trying to get back into the fangirlery, but it might take me some time. As always, the best way to catch me is to put the stories you want on alert, or to alert my author's account if you want to catch the new stories as well. :)**

**I'm still debating whether Six Word Sacrifice and Faux Whispers will get additional chapters. I like Faux Whispers very much, and since I've been including Hikaru more, I probably should go back and add more to the pre-Pillars story. The Saira-Muramasa-Hikaru dynamic is actually more detailed than I let on in Pillars. Essentially, Hikaru gives Muramasa the strength and guts (as well as the experience) to finally make the move that you see in Pillars of Sanctuary as well as in the first chapter of this story.**

**If you're following the other storyverses (Moonbathing, Chessboard, my Chessboard & Sittin' Sideways), they're going to be updated probably next week. I will try to update as fast as I can, but I can make no promises.**

**I felt like adding some hungry!Kouga at the end there as he flips Muramasa over like a pancake. Mm, too much fun.**

**I needed this to be so dialogue heavy because I wanted Kouga to grow in the relationship too. From the anime, I get the impression that Kouga is immature in a lot of ways, and I think Muramasa has a great opportunity to round out some of that.**

**That's all I got. I appreciate all of your alerts, faves, comments, messages, and even the linkery that this story has received!**

**Alright - take care y'all - I'm out!**


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